Experimental tests inducing shear failure on PC bridge deck girders

This paper presents the results of two large-scale experimental tests within the survey conducted on 50-year-old prestressed concrete (PC) girders retrieved from a viaduct in Turin. The PC elements have 19.2 m of span length and I-shaped cross section with 140 mm cast in situ slab. Two static tests have been carried out applying monotonic loading up to the failure under three points loading test specifically meant to induce shear failure, measuring deflections, loads and strains in several positions. In the second girder the cast in situ slab was removed to study its influence in terms of resisting mechanism. The results of the test in terms of load-deflection responses and strains are reported. The experimental findings highlight the specific global structural response and the residual capacity in shear for both PC bridge deck girder and its precast beam without the slab.