Pervious concrete fill in Pearl-Chain Bridges: Using small-scale results in full-scale implementation

Abstract

Pearl-Chain Bridge technology is a new prefabricated arch solution for highway bridges. This study investigates the feasibility of pervious concrete as a filling material in Pearl-Chain Bridges. The study is divided into two steps: 1) small-scale tests where the variation in vertical void distribution and strength properties is determined for 800 mm high blocks cast in different numbers of layers, and 2) full-scale implementation in a 26 m long Pearl-Chain Bridge. With a layer thickness of 27 cm, the small-scale tests indicated homogenous results; however, for the full-scale implementation, the same degree of homogeneity was not shown.

Self-Compacting Pervious Concrete Mix Design for Permeable Concrete Soakaway Rings

“…However, the main advantage by applying the wet casting procedure for PCPC soakaway rings is the reduced construction effort and the reduced risk for operational deviations during the compaction procedure. It is well-known that vibration of PCPC layers from above causes the void content to be inhomogeneous [10], which causes the permeability of the soakaway rings to vary with the height.…”

Mix design for improved strength and freeze-thaw durability of pervious concrete fill in Pearl-Chain Bridges

“…The pile height was 0.9 m and the total width was 6.1 m. The bridge was filled with Portland Cement Pervious Concrete (PCPC) as seen in Fig. 1 and described in Lund et al (2016). The decision to use PCPC as the fill material rather than a more commonly used material, such as coarse aggregate, was based on several considerations taking both the strength and durability properties of the fill material and the entire PCB into account.…”

“…Because of the high amount of voids, the strength of PCPC is usually lower than that of conventional Portland cement concrete. Strength and unit weight decrease linearly with increasing void content (Lund et al, 2016;Schaefer et al, 2006). However, addition of chemical admixtures such as AEA, HRWR, and hydration stabilizers (HS) affect the strength properties positively, and 28-day compressive strengths of up to 28 MPa can be achieved (Tennis et al, 2004;Kevern et al, 2008).…”

Frost susceptibility of sub-base gravel used in Pearl-Chain Bridges: an experimental investigation

“…However, if a gravel material classified as 'frost susceptible' is used as fill in arch bridges, the drainage properties of the bridge superstructure become even more important than otherwise because it needs to be ensured that a constant water table is entirely prevented. The very first Pearl-Chain Bridge constructed in Denmark in 2015 consisted of a main arch and two adjacent half-arches as seen in Figure 2 (Lund et al 2016). For such bridge design a constant water table can occur over the two middle supports if the drainage of the superstructure is poor.…”