Applications of Elastomeric Polymers for Accelerated Bridge Construction and Retrofit

Elastomeric polymers such as polyurea and polyurethane are nonlinear elastic materials with high tensile strength and strain capacity, adhesiveness, and resistance to permeability and environmental conditions. They have been used commercially as waterproofing and anti-blast coating for reinforced concrete components. While the elastomeric polymer is an interesting material with unique characteristics, there has been limited research on its potential structural applications. A number of research studies have shown the remarkable increase in flexural and shear strength of polyurea coated reinforced concrete beams. Further research is needed to explore the application of polyurea coating system as a new structural material in the bridge industry. This proposal takes the first step of a long-term research vision to examine and investigate the innovative applications of elastomeric polymers and specifically polyurea coating in accelerated bridge construction. The focus of this proposal is on the application of elastomeric polymer coatings for design and retrofit of side bridge girders. There are three aspects that can be considered for this application: (i) enhancing the flexural and shear strength of the beam through the application of a spray coating, (ii) enhancing the weather resistivity, which is especially important for side beams, and most importantly, (iii) overheight vehicle collision impact resistance. This proposal only focuses on the flexural and shear strength of polyurea coated RC beams. This simple step is taken to start gaining experience and knowledge on this relatively new material, and incrementally examine other aspects of the applications and other potential applications through future proposals and other funding opportunities. The research team plans for an experimental-analytical research effort, to develop simple phenomenological material models for the polyurea coating system and to investigate the potential cost vs. benefit of the coating in design and retrofit of side girders.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $60000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551747121

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC)

  Florida International University
  10555 W. Flagler Street
  Miami, FL  United States  33174
• Managing Organizations:

  Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC)

  Florida International University
  10555 W. Flagler Street
  Miami, FL  United States  33174

  USDOT/OST-R

  Washington DC,   United States 
• Project Managers:

  Ebrahimi, Hamed

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Nevada, Reno

  1664 N. Virginia Street
  Reno, Nevada  United States  89557
• Principal Investigators:

  Ebrahimi, Hamed

  Moustafa, Mohamed

• Start Date: 20190401
• Expected Completion Date: 20230804
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: Advanced Research
• USDOT Program: Research and Development
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Bridge construction; Coatings; Elastomers; Flexural strength; Girders; Polymers; Polyurethane resins; Reinforced concrete; Retrofitting; Shear strength
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01733225
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC)
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747121
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Mar 10 2020 3:15PM