Cyclic Test of Concrete Bridge Column Utilizing Ultra-High Performance Concrete Shell

Abstract

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is a durable material that can be used in constructing new and unique structural elements. This research utilizes UHPC to construct prefabricated shells that act as stay-in-place forms for bridge columns and eliminate the use of traditional formwork. These innovative structural elements reduce the on-site construction time, improve the structural performance of the column, and act as a protective layer in aggressive environments. Generally, during the construction process, the prefabricated UHPC shell is placed around the column reinforcement, which is fabricated using conventional methods. To connect the UHPC shell and column reinforcement with the footing and footing dowels, a step made of UHPC is utilized. The UHPC step connection is designed to shift the plastic hinge away from the column-to-footing interface. In the next stage, normal concrete is cast inside the shell, forming a concrete-filled UHPC shell. The final stage of construction involves placing and connecting a prefabricated cap-beam using the same UHPC step connection. The column specimen was tested under constant axial load and incremental lateral load. In this test, the UHPC shell cracked on the north side at a drift ratio of 3%; however, the column had a significant capacity and behaved similarly to a conventional reinforced concrete column during higher cycles of drift ratios. The test was completed after the column had reached a drift ratio of 7.5% when the first bar ruptured. No damage occurred in the footing and UHPC step which proved that the design was successful in shifting the plastic hinge away from the column-to-footing interface.

Repair of Timber Piles Using Ultra-High-Performance Concrete: Investigation of Load Transfer and Load-Carrying Capacity

“…UHPC is an advanced cementitious material with superior properties when compared to conventional concrete (15), such as higher compressive strength (more than 21,700 pounds per square inch [psi]), remarkable tensile strength, and high resistance against ion and chloride penetration. It had been used in accelerated bridge construction successfully (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). Because of its high flowability and enhanced durability, it is feasible that UHPC could be a good alternative to repair timber piles, retrofit timber piles, or both.…”

3D-Printing of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete for Robotic Bridge Construction

“…UHPC has steel fibers and it also has high strength properties so that it fulfills the mechanical testing criteria for 3D-printing. This 3D-printing system is flexible enough to print different bridge elements such as cap beam shells (25)(26)(27) or column shells (28,29).…”

Experimental Study and Bearing Capacity Calculation of Compression-Reinforced Concrete Columns Strengthened with Ultra-High-Performance Concrete

“…UHPC is mostly used for localized reinforcement or the repair of critical parts of bridge abutments. Caluk utilized UHPC to enhance the plastic hinge zone of a bridge abutment, and the test results proved that UHPC can significantly reduce the damage to a plastic hinge zone, with good deformation and energy dissipation capacity [15]. The utilization of cementitious elements in the design of UHPC promotes sustainable development by achieving slender cross-sections, resulting in reduced concrete usage (specifically, less cement).…”