Belastungsversuche - Internationaler Stand des Wissens

Load testing - international state of the art

For 15 years load testing in Germany is regulated by the guideline of the Deutscher Ausschuss für Stahlbeton (DAfStb). Further research activity resulted in an improvement of the existing evaluation criteria. This and the introduction of the Eurocode into practice led to the need to revise the existing guideline. This paper summarizes the actual international rules for load testing and compares the different existing evaluation criteria. In addition to the description of the german standard, the actual development of the method of load testing in the USA is shown. Practical examples compare the German and American guidelines. It is concluded which requirements are demanded for the amendment of the guideline.