Abstract
This paper presents an experimental test setup which allows investigation of the structural behaviour for axially loaded concrete walls with openings. The test matrix was developed with the help of design of experiments technique. A two level factorial experiment has been designed resulting in a total of nine wall specimens. Previous research has shown that the ultimate capacity of concrete walls is dependent on the boundary conditions. Therefore, a new test-rig was proposed and designed to work according to the imposed conditions. Nonlinear simulations calibrated on a previous experimental program were used to obtain the reaction forces.