ACI 437.1R-07

This report provides the recommendations of Committee 437 regarding selection of test load magnitudes, protocol, and acceptance criteria to be used when performing load testing as a means of evaluating safety and serviceability of concrete structural members and systems. The history of load factors and acceptance criteria as found in the ACI 318 building code is provided along with a review of other load test practice. Recommended revisions to load factors to be used at this time, additions to load testing protocol, and revisions to acceptance criteria used to evaluate the findings of load testing are provided.

Chapter 1-Introduction
1.1--Background1.2--Introduction1.3--Limitations

Chapter 2--Notation and terminology
2.1--Notation2.2--Terminology

Chapter 3--History of load test, load factors, and acceptance criteria
3.1--Scope of historical review3.2--Summary and conclusions

Chapter 4--Load factors
4.1--Introduction4.2--Load factors for various components of service load4.3--Load factors for extreme ratios of live load to total dead load

Chapter 5--Load test protocol
5.1--Introduction5.2--Test load configuration5.3--Load application method5.4--Loading procedures5.5--Loading duration5.6--Load testing procedure

Chapter 6--Acceptance criteria
6.1--Criteria for 24-hour monotonic load test6.2--Criteria for cyclic load test6.3--Considerations of performance assessment at serviceload level6.4--Recommendations for acceptance criteria at test load magnitude level 6.5--Strength reserve beyond load test acceptance criteria

Chapter 7--Summary

Chapter 8--References
8.1--Referenced standards and reports8.2--Cited references

Appendix A--Determination of equivalentpatch loadA.1--NotationA.2--IntroductionA.3--One-way slab systemA.4--Procedure and preliminary calculationsA.5--Calculations after calibration cycleA.6--Conclusions

Appendix B--History of load test, load factors, and acceptance criteriaB.1--NotationB.2--Historical load test practice in the United States and according to ACI B.3--Other historical load test practices