Experimental Tests of Reinforced Concrete Foundation Slab

Foundation structures, their testing and modelling is a wide area to research. A lot of different elements are tested or modeled in the world. Analysis of interaction between the foundation structures and the subsoil has been developed for many years. For the determination of stress in foundation structure is needed to determine the influence of the stiffness respectively pliability of subsoil to structural internal forces, and vice versa, how the stiffness of the foundation structure affects the resulting subsidence. This paper deals with experimental tests of square reinforced concrete foundation slabs on the subsoil which are carried out at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Ostrava. Those slabs are loaded with concentric load and are mounted with string strain gauges to measure stress-strain characteristics. Pressure sensors are also mounted under slab to monitor contact stress in the subsoil. Total deformation of the concrete foundation slabs are measured too using potentiometric sensors. The tests results are compared with bending moments and deformations analysis according to subsoil models given in Eurocodes using FEM analysis. In this paper are described performed experimental test and presented as currently results from the test as results from the computing analysis on the slabs and their comparison.