First Application of UHPC Bridge Deck Overlay in North America

Abstract

Deterioration of existing bridge decks, which usually originates with the deck cracking on the top surface, is a common problem in North America. It causes frequent repair of the decks to limit further damage resulting from water/chloride ingress. Superior engineering and durability properties facilitate the use of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) as an attractive alternative for a deck overlay, minimizing both deck deterioration and maintenance costs. Recently developed UHPC thixotropic mix designs, which are different from commonly used self-leveling UHPC, enable UHPC overlay to be used on decks with slopes and meet specific crowning requirements. The use of a UHPC thixotropic mix design with 3.25% of steel fibers was successfully evaluated under laboratory conditions by applying it on sloping deck surfaces with appropriate roughness between the normal concrete (NC) and UHPC. The feasibility of applying this technology in the field was then investigated on a small bridge for the first time in North America in May 2016. This paper presents the details about the laboratory evaluation, field implementation of UHPC overlay, and lessons learned from this first UHPC overlay project in North America.

The Structural Performance of Composite Slabs with Profiled Steel Sheet Incorporating Different Concretes

“…Since its invention, UHPC technology has been evolved over the years and many patents have been developed by companies such as Ductal® of Lafarge and 'Ryerson UHPC' developed by Ryerson research (Acker & Behloul, 2004;Hossain et al, 2012a). UHPC has been successfully used in various types of construction including bridges, seismic-resistant and explosion-resistant structures over the world (Bierwagen & Abu-Hawash, 2018). Study on the bond behaviour of steel and GFRP bars showed superior bond performance of UHPC compared to conventional concrete (Hossain et al, 2017;Logan, 1997;Meda & Rosati, 2003).…”

Construction Methods and Lessons Learned for a Non-Proprietary Ultra-High Performance Concrete Overlay

“…Normal-strength concrete (NSC) bridge decks have proved to deteriorate due to various factors, including poor initial quality and both environmental and mechanical distress [1]. Deterioration reduces the load capacity of the bridge and shortens its longevity, thus requiring rehabilitation of the bridge deck or even complete replacement.…”

“…In addition, it also has improved flexural (tensile) strength and ductility due to the addition of high-strength steel fibers to its composition. These improved 1 kg 137 HRWRA 2 L 42.1 Water kg 145 1 Selected mixture comprised steel fibers at volume of 1.75%. 2 High-range water reducing admixture (HRWRA).…”

Utilizing Ultra-High Performance Concrete Overlay for Road Pavement Repair and Strengthening Applications

“…The first U.S. deployment of UHPC as a bridge deck overlay was completed on a reinforced concrete slab bridge located on Laporte Road bridge in Mud Creek in May 2016 [21]. The performance of typical UHPC as a filed-cast overlay, (e.g., industrial floors, industrial pavements, and white toppings) embodies several disadvantages, mostly related to the low water/binder ratio, such as workability, finish-ability, and autogenous shrinkage [22][23].…”