Factors Affecting the Design Thickness of Bridge Slabs: Design and Preliminary Verification of Test Setup

The punching shear behavior of concrete bridge decks under static, pulsating fatigue, and rolling fatigue loads was studied using both analytical and experimental models. The study of the analytical models also played a large role in the design of the experimental specimens, test setup, and test procedure.

In this report, the development of the test setup is described, and preliminary test results are reported. Complete study results will be discussed in future project reports