- 13/12/2024
Inova controller for Panel Element Tester
With its new Panel Element Tester (PET), the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is setting a milestone in the testing of membrane elements that are exposed to complex load combinations.
Thanks to innovative technologies such as the Inova Control System, more precise and flexible material testing is now possible. With this system, different materials can be tested under load combinations that are difficult to achieve with other configurations.
Image: Courtesy of EPFL
Application
The PET can be used to investigate the behaviour of various structural elements, mainly consisting of reinforced concrete, such as partition walls, by applying complex load combinations to membrane elements.
Its modular design, consisting of four bolted beams and ten hydraulic cylinders per beam, allows the application of uniform forces to the different sides of the wall and precise control of the forces in different combinations.
The shear walls tested in the PET can be subjected to significant compressive and tensile loads in a relatively simple and cost-effective way. One of the biggest challenges in developing the system was to ensure an accurate distribution of the forces applied. The PET incorporates a connection system between the metal frame and the tested wall that optimises the application of force and minimises stress concentrations. The double-acting hydraulic cylinders can apply a compressive force of up to 300 kN and a tensile force of 150 kN each.
The centrepiece of the test bench is the Inova control system. Using the Test Control software, the researchers can precisely programme the trajectories of the applied loads and adjust them in real time. The EU3000 controller guarantees unrivalled accuracy and repeatability, which are essential for scientific research.
With the PET and the Inova EU3000 control system, EPFL has taken a decisive step towards more precise and flexible testing of membrane elements, which are representative of the various structural elements subjected to any combination of loads, no matter how complex.
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