High strength full-scale beams under flexure and shear: an experimental study

Prefabrication is generally intended as a way to optimize production, handling and placing of structural elements with time and cost savings. Moreover, any plant production guarantees a rather improved quality control in terms of material and structural details with respect to in-situ construction. While combining also pre or post-tensioning techniques, it is possible to produce structural elements having quite high bearing capacity, such as bridge girders, long spanning principal or secondary beams and roof elements. The recent technological advancements in the production of High Strength Concrete (HSC), partially recognized by many international Standards, have focused the interest on the structural behavior of members made of high strength or high performance concrete. Five tests of full-scale precast elements, carried out at the University of Brescia, will be presented in this paper. One flexure test and four shear tests were performed on inverse T beams. The efficiency of HSC, the collapse modes, the post-cracking stiffness, the crack pattern and its evolution were monitored and will be herein discussed. Lastly, some comments related to shear and flexure requirements included in the recent new Italian Standard will be supplied