The European Laboratory for Structural Assessment of the Joint Research Centre

Synopsis

Chapter 1 (Georgios Tsionis): The ELSA Reaction Wall of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) operates the ELSA Reaction Wall in its Ispra site. The Reaction Wall is a facility of unique dimensions and capabilities in Europe and worldwide, capable of conducting experimental tests on full-scale specimens for the safety assessment of structures against earthquakes and other natural and man-made hazards. JRC provides access to ELSA within the Horizon Europe programme and the JRC programme for opening access to its research infrastructures for research and for training and capacity building. The presentation will give an overview of the facility and selected examples of recent projects.

Chapter 2 (Marco Peroni): Recent Activities related to HopLab Laboratory

The Hopkinson Bar facility (HopLab) is used to study the behavior of materials and structural components under extremely rapid dynamic loads, such as those caused by blasts and impacts. In these scenarios, understanding material behavior at high strain rates is essential. This talk will provide an overview of the facility and highlight recent key activities carried out at the HopLab.

Chapter 3 (Marco Lamperti Tornaghi): SlabSTRESS Project - Slab STructural RESponse for Seismic European Design

The SlabSTRESS Transnational Access project investigated the response of reinforced concrete flat slab structures to earthquake and gravity loads. The objectives of the project were twofold: to investigate the ultimate capacity and failure modes of flat slab structures with different reinforcement layouts, and to verify the effectiveness of steel studs in repairing damaged slab-column connections. The test specimen was a full-scale two-storey flat slab structure with plan dimensions of 9 × 14 m. The punching shear reinforcement was placed only in the second floor slab. The testing programme included two pseudodynamic tests (hybrid simulation of the physical specimen and numerical shear walls) with inputs corresponding to the serviceability and ultimate limit states, and three quasi-static tests under imposed cyclic displacement of increasing amplitude (three slab-column connections were strengthened after the first cyclic test). The results will help to calibrate models, verify the Eurocode and Model Code models for punching shear, and develop new rules for deformation-based design and detailing of flat slab structures subjected to earthquake and gravity loads, as well as improving the design of flat slab frames as primary seismic structures.

About the speakers

Dr Georgios Tsionis is Deputy Head of the Unit ‘Built Environment’ at the Directorate for Societal Resilience and Society of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. The Unit contributes to better EU regulation, competitiveness and innovation in safety and security of buildings and infrastructures by developing research and managing knowledge. Dr Tsionis has expertise in seismic risk and resilience assessment, integrating structural safety with socio-economic and sustainability aspects, standardisation in the built environment, networking of research infrastructures at European and international level, and providing scientific advice to policy-making. He has 25 years of experience in European research projects and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions in the field of earthquake engineering, including large-scale experimental testing, numerical modelling, fragility analysis of reinforced and precast concrete buildings and infrastructure, risk assessment, and field missions after earthquake disasters. Dr Tsionis is observer in CEN/TC 250 ‘Structural Eurocodes’ and CEN/TC 250/SC 8 ‘Eurocode 8: Earthquake resistance design of structures’. He has co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed articles published in books, scientific journals and conference proceedings.

Dr Marco Peroni is a structural mechanics researcher with extensive experience in high strain-rate mechanical testing and large-scale hybrid testing, both experimental and numerical. Since 2004, they have contributed to cutting-edge research in impact and blast phenomena affecting mechanical and civil structures. Currently responsible for the Elsa Reaction Wall and HopLab Laboratory Activities at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission in Ispra, Italy, they have held various research and project management roles at JRC and Politecnico di Torino. Their work focuses on the dynamic behavior of materials and structures, combining advanced experimental techniques with computational modeling. Dr. Marco Peroni holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Design and Machine Construction and is proficient in English and French.

Marco Lamperti Tornaghi (MSc. Eng. PE) works at the European Commission - Joint Research Centre (JRC), Unit ‘Built Environment’ in the Directorate for Societal Resilience and Society. He conducts experimental research in structural and earthquake engineering, with particular focus on seismic response of full-scale buildings and structures and their internal connections; integration between safety and sustainability; innovative building materials (cement-based composites) and connections (friction-based).

Marco has 20 years of experience in European research projects in the field of earthquake engineering and field missions after earthquake disasters. He is an observer in CEN/TC 350 ‘Sustainability of construction works’ and CEN/TC 350/SC 1 ‘Circular economy in the construction sector’ and in ISO/TC 71 ‘Concrete, reinforced concrete and pre-stressed concrete’. He represents the EC-JRC in the COST Action CIRCULARB ‘Implementation of Circular Economy in the Built Environment’. He has co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed papers published in books, scientific journals and conference proceedings and two patents. 

Registration

The event is open to all and is free to attend. Please join the meeting via Teams* by clicking on this link. No registration is required.

Further information
This online talk is organised by SECED Young Members. For further information, please contact Maria Liapopoulou (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
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