IBERTEST Cement testing and similar

They are a modular mechanical assembly. The complexity may range according to the test needs, and they can be configured for the structure or element to be tested, both in size and the load to be borne.
Given its modularity, the system can be extended or modified so as to match with new requirements, for example by adding elements permitting horizontal loads.
IBERTEST portal frames allow vertical compression, tensile, flexural and bending load application and measurement.
Testing portal frames arrangements basically fall into the following two types. In both of them, pillars are secured by turnbuckles:

two pillars, secured by oppositely located turnbuckles in order to offset the horizontal forces, and closed by a cross beam.
four pillars, connected in pairs by a central cross beam, etc.

The height and relative position of the cross beam may be changed according to the user needs. The hydraulic actuator or those jacks acting on the element to be tested, are attached to the cross beam.
Each facility must be studied in detail to ensure that the operating needs of each case are covered. For example, maximum load, dimensions of the elements to be tested, type of test to be performed (static, shaped-wave or dynamic), etc.
The portal frames must always be anchored to an appropriate PLATFORM or STRONG FLOOR, made of concrete or steel.

Strong Floors

Strong floors can be made either of steel or of reinforced concrete.

Steel strong floors are fitted with threaded drill holes and "T" or dovetail type slots, to fasten either the portal frame pads, or the testing devices and tools. Therefore they are designed in accordance with the portal frames, the loads to be applied, the elements to be tested, etc. Strong floors are normally of moderate size, adjusted to the portal frame and to the structural elements to be tested.

Concrete strong floors are usually used in case of special space requirements, for instance when testing big size beams or assembling elements with great separation among them, etc. They are also designed in accordance with the portal frames and loads intended, with the elements to be tested and with the planned testing spaces. Portal frames are usually fixed on top of them by means of pads, but they may also be fixed with anchoring sleeves and anchor rods, which make them easy to position or move from one place to another on top of the strong floor surface.

Anchoring pots are built in the strong floor in a grid layout, usually of 1000 x 1000 mm between them, thus allowing the assembly of portal frames on any part of the strong floor and meeting test requirements. In addition, different accessories and testing devices -such as bending lower bearers, lateral reaction walls, and so on, are also fixed to the strong floor by means of the anchoring sleeves.

Hydraulic jacks

IBERTEST offers a wide range of hydraulic jacks and actuators covering a broad spectrum of testing requirements.
Test loads, dimensions of the structure under test, type of load (static or dynamic) and price of the assembly are the main factors of this versatility.
Hydraulic jacks are divided in two main groups:

Single acting, for static tests.
Double acting, for static, quasi-static or dynamic tests.

At the same time, double acting hydraulic jacks are subdivided in:

Asymmetric (for static and wave-shaped tests, not through zero cycling).
Symmetric (for wave-shape and alternating tests, through zero cycling).

There is an additional subdivision of the double acting hydraulic jacks according to their internal manufacturing and piston guiding system:

With turcite joints and guides, for frequencies up to 10 Hz (*)
Semi-hydrostatic, for frequencies up to 40 Hz (*)
Hydrostatic, for frequencies higher than 40 Hz (*)

Capacities range: from 10 kN up to 2000 kN
(*) Depending on the amplitudei

GIB Type, single acting hydraulic jacks

IBERTEST's GIB type single acting hydraulic jacks are designed for static load compressive tests. These are high accuracy devices with the following characteristics:

Ringless, lapped piston (insignificant friction).
Extension screw driver, allowing a perfect fit between the jack and the surface of the specimen to be tested.
Baseplate with ball-and-socket joint, arranged to allow the hydraulic jack to be placed in a vertical (upward load), suspended (downward load) or in an inclined position.
Compression platen, with or without ball-and-socket joint, mounted on the end of the extension screw driver.
Load measuring system, either by means of pressure transducers (in the hydraulic circuit) or by means of load cells with extensometrical bands (sandwich-arrangement between the end of the extension screw driver and the compression platen).
Working pressure: 250 bar.
Capacities: 10, 20, 40, 60, 100, 200, 400, 600 and 1000 kN.

GIB ... ADE type, asymmetrical double acting hydraulic jacks

The term "asymmetrical" applies to a hydraulic jack fitted with a single load piston with two different cross-sections.

Hydraulic jacks of this type are used for static and quasi-static tests and for tests with low or medium frequency dynamic loads, the latter together with a closed-loop servocontrolled system.
Given the asymmetry of piston and baseplate, this sort of hydraulic jack can easily be assembled in any position.
It can be fitted with ball-and-socket joints to avoid lateral stresses onto the load piston.
The test load is measured by a low-profile strain gauge load cell.
Asymmetrical double acting hydraulic jacks can also be fitted with internal displacement transducers (LVDT ones) for displacement control (mm/min), piston position control, automatic return to the starting position, etc.
Capacities: 10, 20, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 400, 500, 600, 1000, 1500 and 2000 kN (higher capacities on demand).

GIB ... SDE type, symmetrical double acting hydraulic jacks

The term "symmetrical" describes both identical cross-sections inside the load piston.
Used for static and for dynamic tests as well, the latter being either wave-shaped or alternated load at medium or high frequency, to simulate the service conditions with the maximal accuracy by means of a closed-loop servocontrolled system.
Standard features:

Linear Variable Displacement transducer (LVDT) located inside the load piston shaft.
Universal or dynamic, low-profile strain gauge load cell, mounted on the load piston shaft.
Distributing plate for a wide range of servo-valves (up to 280 l/min).

Different versions available, e.g: with semi-hydrostatic or hydrostatic joints, depending upon:

Required frequency range (Hz)
Amplitude (mm or kN)
Wave shape (sinus, triangle, square, ... )

And also according to:

Required piston stroke (± mm).
The way the jack is fixed to the portal frame.
Load cell assembly (fixed, ball-seated, pivoted).
Articulated devices assembly.

Capacities: 10, 20, 50, 100, 150, 200, 400, 500, 600, 1000, 1500 and 2000 kN (higher capacities on demand).

Hydraulic units

High-pressure pumping units with a small and constant flow (up to 10 l/min) may be used for normal static and quasi-static tests.

However, for static and dynamic tests, much larger oil flows are required and also more complex hydraulic circuits, some of them as part of the cooling system, such as re-circulation pumps, heat exchangers, cooling towers, and others, according to their intended use.

The dynamic performance diagram helps determining the hydraulic power unit flow in order to obtain a target performance.
Example:
Double acting hydraulic jack GIB-100-SDE type

Nominal load: ± 100 kN.
S: piston static stroke: ± 25 mm.
a0: amplitude: ± 2 mm.
f: frequency on the specimen: 20 Hz.
a0 f: factor, proportional to the piston speed: 40 mm/s.
Q: minimum necessary oil flow: 74 l/min.

Control systems

IBERTEST portal frames are fitted with a multi-channel data acquisition and control electronic system, featuring 16 measuring channels as standard (expandable) and a computerized programming and data processing station.

IBERTEST WINTEST® 32-bit software packages for MS Windows™, are offered in static and dynamic test versions, do make possible to perform the whole test from the computing station: from the test parametrization to the graphical charts and statistics issue, through the real-time data display.

On demand, we may also supply strain gauges and/or LVDT type transducers, for the instrumentation of the element to be tested (control of cracks, strains, measurement of vertical deflection, etc).