The Laboratory conducts mechanical tests on full-scale structural elements and laboratory-scale mock-ups of structures and infrastructures. Realistic structural settings are tested under laboratory conditions to characterize their mechanical response and/or simulate potential damage scenarios or degradation effects. Experimental applications of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems involve traditional and innovative sensing technologies and monitoring strategies to study their effectiveness and detection capabilities. Research also investigates the 3D printing of cement- and clay-based construction materials, primarily to produce innovative sensing technologies for SHM applications. In addition, the Laboratory’s activities are devoted to using drones and/or laser scanning technologies for the digital reproduction of existing structures and infrastructures (such as residential buildings, historical constructions, bridges, dams, and more), as well as for their visual inspection and health monitoring. In these last contexts, innovative approaches are developed for detecting and evaluating superficial structural defects and deformation states by combining photogrammetry and/or laser scanning techniques with artificial intelligence algorithms.
View of the newly established Laboratory for Structural and Earthquake Engineering Testing, designed to support advanced experimental investigations on the seismic performance and structural behavior of civil structures and infrastructures.
The laboratory is equipped with a main reaction structure consisting of a strong floor and two orthogonal reaction walls, each 8 m high, enabling pseudo-static and pseudo-dynamic tests on large-scale prototypes with load application in the three principal directions. An additional reaction system, comprising a strong floor measuring 10 m × 10 m in plan and a rigid steel portal frame, allows pseudo-static and pseudo-dynamic tests under bending and shear loading on large-scale prototypes, with load application in the vertical direction. Furthermore, small and medium-sized 3D printers for cement- and clay-based construction materials are available. The equipment can be used for contract work. Traditional visual inspections of existing structures and infrastructures for the evaluation of surface defects and structural pathologies can also be performed upon request.
To support the research activities related to the SMS-SAFEST Project, two hydraulic actuators were purchased using the financial resources allocated by the FIS 2021 Advanced Grant, thereby enhancing the laboratory’s experimental testing capabilities. The devices, supplied by Italsigma, have load capacities of 1000 kN and 250 kN, respectively, and feature a working stroke of 500 mm. Both actuators can operate in either displacement or force control mode through advanced control units, enabling high-precision testing of structural components and systems.
Photos of the two hydraulic actuators acquired with the financial resources allocated to the SMS-SAFEST Project.
