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Structural Testing Applications

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Springer Handbook of Experimental Solid Mechanics

Part of the book series: Springer Handbooks ((SHB))

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Abstract

This chapter addresses various aspects of testing of a structural system. The importance of the management approach to planning and performing structural tests (ST) is emphasized. When resources are limited, this approach becomes critical to the successful implementation of a testing program. The chapter starts with illustrations of some of the past structures that were built using concepts developed through testing. Most often, these structures were built even before the principles of engineering mechanics were understood. At present, due to the unprecedented expansion of computing power, numerical and experimental techniques are interchangeably used in simulating complex natural phenomena. Despite encouraging results from simulation and predictive modeling, structural testing is still a very valuable tool in the industrial development of product and process, and its success depends on judicious choice of testing method, instrumentation, data acquisition, and allocation of resources. A generic description of the current test equipment and types of measurements is included in this chapter. After careful selection, three case studies are included. The complexity involved with the modeling of structural steel retrieved from the collapse site of the World Trade Center (WTC) under high-rate and high-temperature conditions is highlighted in the first case study. The second case study highlights the importance of the planning phase in providing the basis for manageable and high-quality testing of concrete highway bridges. The final case study details the development of a lightweight automobile airbag from inception through innovation. This case study also illustrates the close ties between structural testing and numerical simulation. The chapter closes with examples of a few future structural systems, highlighting the complexity involved in their testing.

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Abbreviations

AASHTO:

Association of State Highway Transportation Officials

AISC:

American Institute of Steel Construction

AREA:

American Railway Engineering Association

ASTM:

American Society for Testing and Materials

CD:

compact disc

ESIS:

European Structural Integrity Society

IBC:

International Building Code

LVDT:

linear variable differential transformer

LVDT:

linear variable displacement transducer

MBS:

model-based simulation

MPCS:

most probable characteristics strength

NEPA:

National Environmental Policy Act

NHDP:

The National Highways Development Project

NIST:

National Institute of Standard and Technology

NSF:

National Science Foundation

OPS:

operations per second

OSHA:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

RCC:

reinforced cement concrete

RCRA:

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

SD:

standard deviation

SNL:

Sandia National Laboratories

SP:

speckle photography

ST:

structural test

UDL:

uniformly distributed load

WTC:

World Trade Center

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering, New Mexico Tech, 87801, Socorro, NM, USA

    Ashok Kumar Ghosh Dr.

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  1. Ashok Kumar Ghosh Dr.
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Correspondence to Ashok Kumar Ghosh Dr. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Room 126, Latrobe Hall, The Johns Hopkins University, 21218-2681, Baltimore, MD, USA, 3400 North Charles Street

    William N. Sharpe Jr. Prof.

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© 2008 Springer-Verlag

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Ghosh, A.K. (2008). Structural Testing Applications. In: Sharpe, W. (eds) Springer Handbook of Experimental Solid Mechanics. Springer Handbooks. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30877-7_35

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