Design, Construction and Capabilities of the Large Universal Shell Element Tester

Abstract

The Large Universal Shell Element Tester (LUSET) is a new testing facility that has been developed at ETH Zurich. It enables the investigation of the load-deformation behaviour of full-scale reinforced concrete shell elements under arbitrary loading conditions. The motivation for the development of the LUSET is outlined followed by a description of the hardware and software components of the setup and the measurement systems used. Finally, the test series for validating the functionality of the LUSET is discussed and a general overview of the facility’s overall testing capabilities is given.