In-situ Load Test: a Case Study

In order to test a structure or portion of a structure for purposes of strength evaluation, two load test protocols are currently available in the United States. The first one is defined in Chapter 20 of the ACI 318 Building Code. It is based on a 24-hour-duration uniformly distributed static load, at a magnitude determined as a ratio of the design load. The second one, still at the proposed level, is based on loading the structure cyclically, in strategic locations, with increasing load magnitudes. This paper provides a procedure for determining patch load/s that applied to the member/structure will generate internal forces (i.e., shear or bending moment), at critical locations, equal to those resulting from the typical uniformly distributed load. The paper describes the application of the proposed load testing procedure for the case of a building scheduled for demolition. The analysis of the experimental results provides professionals with evidence on the validity of in situ assessment based on the proposed protocol for the adequacy of structural members.