The testing facilities

The Creas Lab experimental facility, located in Fiorano Modenese (Italy), is designed to perform large-scale tests on civil structures made of reinforced concrete, masonry, and steel. The laboratory is equipped with:

• a strong floor for anchoring full-scale test specimens

• a rigid steel reaction frame capable of applying large lateral forces up to 700 kN

• two steel loading frames suitable for compression and shear testing

• two servo-hydraulic actuators with nominal capacities of 400 kN and 650 kN

• two hydraulic jacks for tensile and compressive loading up to 650 kN

• an extensive set of LVDTs, linear and wired potentiometers, strain gauges, and load cells for high precision measurement

This equipment enables the execution of cyclic pseudo-static and pseudo-dynamic tests on full-scale structures, as well as detailed material characterization campaigns. The facility supports research and development activities aimed at understanding and improving the seismic performance of structural systems.