ABSTRACT
The experimental program consisted of casting twelve 180 × 180 × 5 cm pre-tensioned concrete slabs with material properties of 40 MPa for the concrete matrix and ESP = 195 GPa for the high-yield steel tendons with nominal diameter of 10 mm which will be contained in frames made of 6 mm bent mild steel mesh with ES = 200 GPa. At the concrete age of 9 days with natural curing, all of the slabs, after the transfer of stresses from the steel tendons to the concrete matrix, will be compressed out by the initial prestressing forces and then will be taken away from the pre-stressing beds together with their deflection indicators, after cutting the steel tendons. Two of the slabs, marked S-1, will be maintained in the laboratory without loads. From them will be calibrated the variations of the deformations in the steel tendons and in the concrete matrix, due to pre-stressing forces and due to the shrinkage of the concrete matrix. Further, at the concrete matrix age of 36 days, 10 other slabs will be tested under long-term uniformly distributed static loads, with different force intensities. For the evaluation of concrete matrix physical-mechanical properties, specific subgroups of 300 × 150∅ mm cylinders and 150 mm cubes will be tested periodically, using British Standards through Euro Codes. The variations in lateral deflections influenced by concrete matrix creep and shrinkage will be monitored continuously. At the
concrete matrix age of 300 days, all of the members will be tested quasi-statically and after, under cyclic quasi-dynamic vertical loads up to their failure state.
