A new experimental device for assessing the radial strains of concrete at high temperatures

ABSTRACT Exposure to high temperatures strongly modifies the behaviour of concrete. To increase the level of safety for concrete structures in the event of fire, design calculations have to take into account the dependence of the mechanical properties with temperature. A device has been developed at the CSTB in order to measure radial strains of a concrete sample under hot mechanical tests. We present the principles of this new tool and the validation tests. The experimental limits of the device, concerning the hot transient tests, are also mentioned. At last, we present the results of hot compression and hot creep tests carried out on an ordinary concrete.