Diaphragm CApacity of Beam and block Existing floors
ERIES-DICABE
Project Report
Dataset Description
The ERIES-DICABE (DIaphragm CApacity of Beam and block Existing floors) project is an experimental programme focused on the seismic in-plane behaviour of existing beam-and-clay block floor diaphragms. The dataset refers to a full-scale quasi-static in-plane test performed on a 9.3 m × 3.9 m beam-and-clay block floor system. The experimental campaign was conducted at the laboratory of the EUCENTRE Foundation, while the mechanical characterization of the materials was carried out at the Material and Structural Testing Laboratory of the University of Bergamo.
The specimen reproduces traditional Mediterranean construction techniques and represents a critical configuration for in-plane capacity, as it was tested without a concrete overlay.
The in-plane test was designed to evaluate the mechanical response of a floor system not originally intended to resist horizontal actions. A unidirectional in-plane loading configuration was adopted using hydraulic actuators anchored to a reaction wall, producing a four-point bending scheme within the plane of the slab. The setup ensured the development of a central region governed by in-plane bending effects.
Low-friction sliding interfaces (steel plates and Teflon sheets) were used to minimise restraint and allow free in-plane displacements under gravity loading. The boundary conditions were defined to ensure global equilibrium through a combination of hinged and roller supports, resulting in an isostatic configuration suitable for controlled interpretation of the structural response.
The experimental campaign of the ERIES-DICABE project was carried out at the EUCENTRE-IUSS Research infrastructure, within the framework of ERIES project (Engineering Research Infrastructures for European Synergies). ERIES is funded by the European Commission's Horizon Europe program, it is coordinated by the Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS in Pavia, has a budget of €11.6 million and has a four-year duration, from 2022 to 2026. ERIES aims to provide transnational access to advanced research infrastructures in structural, seismic, wind, and geotechnical engineering. The project seeks to enhance resilience against natural hazards such as earthquakes and extreme winds by fostering innovative and sustainable solutions to mitigate economic losses and social disruptions. Additionally, it develops new technical standards and methodologies to improve infrastructure safety and supports frontier research through international collaboration.
Specimens
1. Beam-and-clay block floor system
2
The test specimen was designed and constructed to replicate reinforced concrete (RC) beam-and-hollow clay block floor systems typically found in post-World War II buildings. The full-scale specimen had overall plan dimensions of 9.25 m × 3.9 m and consisted of a single-span floor with a 3.9 m span length. The total slab thickness was 160 mm, with no concrete topping layer included in order to reproduce a critical configuration for in-plane capacity.
The floor system was composed of RC joists with an equivalent rectangular cross-section of 100 × 160 mm², infilled with hollow clay blocks. At the perimeter, two RC edge beams (T1 and T2) and two RC curbs (T3 and T4) with a cross-section of 250 × 160 mm² were provided to close the floor diaphragm. These elements were designed to transfer vertical loads from self-weight to eight equally spaced compression-only supports (P1–P8), simulating column supports in a real building. In this configuration, the longitudinal edge beams behave as continuous beams over four supports, forming three 3.0 m spans.
All structural elements were designed based on serviceability limit state actions and verified at ultimate limit state conditions for bending and shear in accordance with the Italian building code NTC 2018. The resulting configuration represents a typical gravity-load-resisting floor system with no initial design provisions for in-plane seismic actions, allowing investigation of its lateral load capacity and failure mechanisms.
1. Quasi-static cyclic tests
The test followed a quasi-static cyclic protocol with increasing demand levels. An initial force-controlled phase was used, applying load–unload cycles in triplets up to approximately 60 kN to characterise the initial stiffness. After the onset of non-linear behaviour, the testing protocol continued with actuators in displacement control, maintaining cyclic loading with multiple cycles at lower amplitudes and single cycles at higher displacement levels. This approach allowed progressive damage development and assessment of stiffness degradation up to failure.
Instrumentation
The instrumentation installed on the specimen included accelerometers, displacement transducers (both rod and wire potentiometers), strain gauges, and a optical acquisition system based on Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The layout and positioning of the instrumentation were determined according to the expected structural response of the specimen and supported by preliminary numerical analyses.
2. Dynamic identification tests
Dynamic identification tests were performed both before and after the in-plane loading test in order to evaluate changes in the global dynamic properties of the specimen induced by damage.
Instrumentation
The vibration monitoring system consisted of a configuration of sensors including a set of 12 uniaxial accelerometers and 15 triaxial accelerometers.
Project Metadata
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
CC BY 4.0
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