For the first time, on 14^th September, DTSB has engaged IKRAM QA Service S/B to certify a destructive load proof test of a full scale prestress bridge girder in flexure strength test. The beam weights up to 30 tonnes and has a total length of 29.5m. At the same time, DTSB has also invited various organisations to participate in the destructive test, which consists of 15 officers from JKR Perak, 50 undergraduate students from University Technology Petronas (UTP), approximately 20 post-graduate students from University Putra Malaysia (UPM), and 4 local consulting engineers.

The test starts with the inspection and labelling of the beam. A representative of IKRAM QA use a measuring tape to measured the nominal dimensions of the beam and then compares to result against the nominated value as given by the manufacturer.  After that the beam was loaded up to the load step where cracking of the beam has been observed. The beam continues to be loaded and crack pattern was traced and marked using black-inked pen. In general the DURA beam is able to exhibit elastic-plastic behaviour under load. The beam is able to deflected more than 200mm at the midspan prior to failure. The beam was tested to failure where the bottom tendon at girder midspan snapped into two separated parts with the maximum recorded point load is 900 kN.

After the test, all the audiences agree they had witness something new and the test has given them a new insight about structures. The full scale test has proven the DURA beam has meet both the manufacturer’s guarantee performance capacity and the designer’s structural capacity of a bridge.

Ikram representative having a detail inspection and labelling of the prototype DURA post-tension beam.

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