Large Concrete SMRF Beam Test @ UC Berkeley

I went to UC Berkeley today to watch this specimen get tested. There's a large actuator to the left of the beam that pushes it up and down, which simulates seismic loads. In other words, this beam was being put through a very slow earthquake. This picture was approximately taken 1/4 way through testing. The size of the beam is larger than the standard and its reinforcement is spaced differently compared to that of today's building codes, so the purpose of the test was to measure its adequacy. No lie, but I was pretty bored out of my mind watching this thing crack for 4 hours. The fun started on the 5th hour though when the concrete started to break and explode.