The on-going design and construction of structural testing system at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is approaching final stages with the delivery of the steel parts! The frame is 13 ft (length) by 6 ft (width,) in plane, and 12 ft in height, with a self-sustaining crane system designed on the top. This structural testbed provides bi-axial (in vertical and lateral directions) testing with two movable servo-electric actuators for maximum testing capacity of 50 kips.

The research is led by Dr. Sunny Zhou and graduate student Bikesh Sedhain. Stay tuned for the upcoming installation and tests!