The Structural Engineering Group from the School of Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) has completed a project on analyzing the impact resistance in concrete, allowing them to follow up with a study on the behavior of protection structures when exposed to rock fall.
Headed by Professor Carlos Zanuy Sánchez, the Structural Engineering Group carried out impact tests on beams using a free fall machine in the sStructures lLaboratory. Developed by Servosis, the machine features piezoelectric force transducers with CFW load washers by HBM (CFW-190 and CFW-700), which are able to detect forces with the maximum precision possible. Reinforced concrete beams have a tendency to fail under shear load due to minimum energy absorption capacity during impact. Tests were therefore conducted to identify the improvement potential for resistance using beams with metal fiber reinforcement.“HBM has gained our trust thanks to its testing and measuring products and its cooperation in selecting the right products to achieve the best possible results.”
“This project has allowed us to evaluate resistance and energy absorption capacity in terms of quantity in the tested elements. The HBM sensors played an essential role in the study since they are reliable at high deformation rates,” affirms Professor Zanuy Sánchez.These transducers also feature added advantages as they come with a variety of accessories, load amplifiers, data acquisition systems, and measurement software – ideal if there is a need to create a complete measurement chain. After the notable success acquired by working together on this study, HBM and the UPM’s Structural Engineering Group intend to collaborate on other research projects in the future.