Large Static Testing Equipment: Design and Testing of a Settlement Facility

Masonry structures are highly vulnerable to climate change effects. In particular, over the last few decades, the effects of global warming have caused wetter winters and drier summers. Such phenomenon has produced variations in soil saturation that, in the long term, may trigger consolidation-induced differential settlements. Therefore, the experimental replication of settlement actions is essential for developing appropriate numerical tools and understanding their consequences on masonry structures. This paper describes the installation of a 1.5 × 1m2 settlement table at the University of Minho. Practical issues and first tests on masonry shear walls are also discussed.