A unique test set-up is described which facilitates the testing of full scale continuous reinforced concrete flat slabs with spans up to 6 m under vertical loading. In the past, tests were done either on full scale isolated slab-column connections or on reduced scale slab systems. Both test methods are not ideal to establish the shear behaviour of flat slabs. The test set-up which was designed and built at the University of Calgary avoids the major sources of error by providing realistic boundary conditions along lines of zero shear of part of a slab centered about an exterior column and the adjacent interior column. The boundary conditions are created by boundary frames which allow vertical displacement but no rotation along the lines of zero shear. By using this set-up the effect of moment redistribution as well as membrane action can be determined. In this paper the boundary frames and their effects on the behaviour of the tested slab were evalutated experimentally and theoretically by finite element analysis. Based on the results, modifications to the original boundary frames were made.

Door or window openngs in masonry infill panels can reduce the lateral strength and stiffness on infill-frame systems. In an effort to study these effects, a series of tests were conducted on half-scale test structures consisting each of three stories and three bays. Infill panels of the control structure were solid with no openings while panels of the second structue were perforated with window and door openings of varying size and location. The test structures were designed to replicate typical building practice of the early 1950's with little or no seismic detailing of frame reinforcement. The test structures were subjected to cyclic in-plane lateral forces to study their strength and deformation capacity under seismic excitation. The cyclic loading was chosen to apply displacemet demands on the structures, representative of those that are expected to occur during strong earthquake motions. Test results discussed in this paper are presented in terms of observed changes in strength, stiffness and deformation capacity of both test structures. Damage patterns and propagation of cracks in the concrete frame and masonry infill during loading are illustrated and discussed in terms of measured histories of force and deflection. Experimental results supported by analytical studies are used to estimate overall reductions in strent, deformation capacity and stiffness due to the presence of openings in the panels.

The structural behavior of reinforced concrete framed shear walls subjected to reversed cyclic lateral loading were studied by testing ten large-scale specimens, including high-, middle-, and low-rise shear walls. An analytical model was also proposed to predict the behavior of the tested specimens. The parameters of concrete strength and vertical stell ratio of walls were investigated. The predicted maximum load and corresponding displacement, and load-displacement curves satisfactorily agreed with the experimental results. In addition, the experimental results showed that the failure mode of high-rise shear walls was flexural; their ductility factors were greater than those of low-rise shear walls; their displacements were also greater. The mid-rise shear walls failed by a combination of both flexure and shear. The experimental results also showed that the maximum loads were greater for specimens with higher concrete strength or higher verical stell ratio. The vertical stell ratio of walls has more significant effect on flexure-predominant walls. However, it is insensitive to shear-critical walls. It was found that the simple model develped from previous small-scale tests could not closely reflect the experimental results of all specimens. This suggests that the size effect needs to be taken into account in the analytical model.

During the last decade dozens of concrete bridges were raced in The Netherlands that had suffered from alkali-silica reaction (ASR). Since the bridge decks were not provided with vertical reinforcement, their shear capacity fully depends on the concrete tensile strength. To study the effect of ASR on the shear capacity, six beams sawn from two viaducts were loaded in bending till failure. Failure occurred at about 75% of the theorectical shear capacity of undamaged concrete. Contrary to what normally would be expected, failure was not attended with the development of inclined bending cracks, but with diagonal cracks that originated at mid-depth. Hence, the tensile strength reduction due to ASR resulted in a change of the failure mechanism from flexural shear into diagonal shear. To explain the observed crack development and shear strength, the influences of a longitudinal compressive stress due to the restraint of ASR-induced expansion and an orientation dependent tensile strength were taken into consideration.

SP-211 This Symposium Publication contains 16 papers presented at the 2003 ACI Spring Convention in Vancouver, BC, Canada. To date, most structural tests are based on small-scale tests to verify the accuracy of analytical models. Small-scale tests can allow the mechanics (modes) of failure to be examined carefully at a fractional cost of full-scale testing. Full-scale tests render the realistic behavior of structures; however, they require large-scale testing facilities and an enormous amount of manpower in addition to being very expensive to set up and run. Whether large or small in scale, testing of structures and structural components are deemed vital in predicting field performance. This document demonstrates the effective use of various facilities to provide the realistic behavior of concrete structures through large-scale testing.