Experimental Program and Full-Scale Load Tests on PC Deck Beams

The dismantling of a 50-year-old viaduct in the city center of Turin, Italy, gave the possibility to setup for a large experimental campaign under the research project named BRIDGE|50 (www.bridge50.org). Precast prestressed concrete (PC) deck beams with 19.2 m span length, with I-shaped or box cross-section, along with two post-tensioned PC pier caps, have been located in a testing site to be subjected to full-scale structural tests. A rigid steel reaction frame specifically designed and equipped to perform large scale mechanical tests with variable configurations is used. This paper aims at presenting the design of the experimental program planned, detailing the equipment used to test the specimens, and presenting the testing protocols. Furthermore, the first outcomes of the large scale load tests performed on a PC beam are reported. The structural behavior at both service and ultimate stages is evidenced revealing the response of an existing bridge deck beam after 50 years of service life.