Long time no hear, as I am stuck in the lab. After casting, it is time to break some beams!
So far, I have tested three beams statically. I did it to get their resistance, which will help in calibration of my fatigue tests. One of the tested R-UHPFRC beams below, with visible huge force-redistribution steel beam on top of it.
I've got one unexpected shear failure... Which opened a whole new research branch on influence of vibrations during casting on the fibre orientation in beam! The project is ongoing.
And, when I say I BREAK the beams, I really mean it. The one below is broken for sure ;)
Thanks to its fibres, the UHPFRC is very ductile. Here, you can see a time-lapse video of the post-peak load. This means, that the beam has already reached its maximum resistance and now can be considered as damaged, but there is still a lot of capability of deflection and load support.
Just imagine, that you can see through the beam while there is still a load of around 25 tonnes on it! (so, weight of 15 cars...)
