ABSTRACT
To enable cost effective experimental investigations of large-scale concrete members concerning punching shear, a new experimental test-setup is proposed. The basic concept of this test-setup is the exploitation of axial symmetry in experimental investigations—already a standard procedure in numerical simulations—but rather complex in experiments. One of the biggest challenges within the development process of the new test-setup is the structural design of the interconnection at the symmetry planes. This design must ensure on the one hand sufficient bond between concrete and steel, and on the other hand must not affect the load carrying capacity of the test members. However, a first experimental investigation of a quarter slab revealed that the currently employed interconnection stiffens the concrete areas near the symmetry planes. To reduce or eliminate these unintended stiffening effects, an experimental test program was developed. This contribution presents the obtained test results from symmetrically reduced and corresponding full-sized concrete members.
