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  • Italian

Bearing Test System: European Excellence in Seismic Testing

11/06/2025Andrea Paoli

In the field of earthquake engineering, the ability to accurately simulate structural behaviour during extreme events is fundamental for innovating design and ensuring safety. This is the context for the Bearing Test System (BTS), an advanced experimental infrastructure developed and operational at the Eucentre Foundation laboratories in Pavia.

What is the Bearing Test System?

The BTS is a multifunctional test system designed to perform tests on full-scale seismic isolation and dissipation devices. Its special feature lies in its ability to apply static and dynamic loads with five controlled degrees of freedom: vertical and longitudinal translations, as well as roll, pitch, and yaw rotations. Additionally, an optional configuration allows the degrees of freedom to be extended to six, enabling complete three-dimensional movements.

Technical Specifications

  • Maximum static vertical load: 40,000 kN
  • Additional dynamic vertical load: 10,000 kN
  • Maximum horizontal force: 2,000 kN (up to 2,800 kN in alternative configuration)
  • Maximum horizontal displacement: ±480 mm
  • Dimensions of baseboard: 1.7 m x 4.3 m
  • Control system: real-time digital, with PID control and delta-P feedback

Objectives and applications

The BTS is designed for:

  • Validating numerical models used in the prediction of seismic response
  • Testing innovative insulation and dissipation devices, such as elastomeric insulators, sliding insulators on a curved surface, and viscous dissipators
  • Supporting the development of technical standards through high-quality experimental data

Applications range from tests on structural joints and prefabricated elements to tests on advanced seismic protection devices.

A state-of-the-art experimental infrastructure

The BTS is part of the Eucentre Foundation’s experimental laboratories, which also include high-performance vibration tables, dynamic test systems, and advanced acquisition tools. These infrastructures enable large-scale testing under conditions that closely resemble real-world ones, helping to reduce design uncertainties and increase structural resilience.

International Collaborations

Eucentre, thanks to the use of BTS, has participated in European projects such as SERA (Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research Infrastructure Alliance for Europe), which promoted transnational access to experimental infrastructures of excellence. It also collaborates with NHERI (Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure) in the United States, consolidating its role in international seismic research.
Thanks to the presence of the Bearing Test System among its test infrastructures, the Eucentre Foundation confirms its leadership in scientific experimentation applied to earthquake engineering. An infrastructure that represents a European reference for the study of innovative devices and the continuous improvement of structural safety.

: Seismic tests

Copyright © 2018 | All rights reserved | Eucentre Foundation declines all responsibility for any omissions, incorrect indications or changes to the above information
European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering | Via A. Ferrata, 1 – Pavia (Italy) | VAT Number: IT 02009180189 | Phone: +39 0382 5169811
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