National Concrete Pavement Technology Center

Project description

Deterioration of bridges can often be related to poor performance of longitudinal connections or transverse deck joints, which can be more frequent when precast panels are used for accelerated bridge construction. Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is a relatively recent advancement in cementitious composite materials with mechanical and durability properties far exceeding those of conventional concrete. It combines a high percentage of steel fibers with an optimized gradation of granular constituents, resulting in a compressive strength in excess of 22 ksi, a high post-cracking tensile strength, and exceptional durability. The short reinforcing bar development lengths and exceptional durability provided by UHPC lead to great potential for use in bridge deck joints, other applications for accelerated bridge construction, and as a repair material. The long-term benefits of using UHPC in a number of applications are evident, but commercially available proprietary mixture formulations are very expensive and mix design using local materials is much more complicated than for conventional concrete.