The strong floor dimensions were designed in part to accommodate an existing 5-ton crane set at an adjacent location. Concrete tracks were cast and the crane was relocated and positioned such that the crane can now access all areas of the strong floor. The crane will be a valuable asset during test setups, and contributes to creating a fully functional testing facility.
Five steel column specimens to be embedded in concrete and all steel testing equipment have been fabricated by Gayle Manufacturing Company. The parts were shipped to UC Davis and are now ready for use. Testing equipment includes a W24x335 beam and two HSS columns for axial loading, two custom clevis joints to allow pivoting of the loading frame, bracing, and a pull-\out frame capable of applying 500 tons of pull-out force.
The laboratory strong floor has been constructed. Multiple procedural delays resulted in a later than expected completion date, however the floor was constructed as originally designed and ready for use.
In anticipation of the large forces required to generate desired failure modes in the test specimens, a high capacity strong floor was designed. The 4-foot thick slab is to be heavily reinforced with bundled #11 rebar and feature 81 anchor locations, each capable of providing up to 110 tons of resistance.
Project team members met with members of the Industry Advisory Committee and other project affiliates to discuss the current state of research, the proposed test program, and overall scope. Issues discussed included the proposed test matrix for compression and tension tests, the parameters to be investigated in each case, the test setup, and the constructability of the proposed connections to be tested. Meeting minutes can be accessed through the documents archive.
Due to availability issues at the Berkeley testing facility, the project team is working to develop innovative and practical testing solutions geared at providing the means for experiments to be conducted right here at the University of California, Davis. To accommodate full-scale testing and a robust experimental program, the team is developing preliminary designs to construct a test rig on the UCD campus. The proposed test setup will be designed to provide a cost-effective and highly adaptable alternative to standard laboratory testing at an existing facility.
The Column Bases and Anchorages project is underway! We are currently in the initial stages, collecting information and developing preliminary models. We hope to begin the test planning soon. Many thanks to our sponsors and the Industry Advisory Committee for their support in making this project possible.
