Exploring Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Concrete for Accelerated Bridge Construction Applications

The use of precast concrete superstructure elements can expedite project delivery, improve work-zone safety, and reduce overall project cost. To accelerate construction, the precast elements must be connected quickly on-site, ideally using as little additional material as possible. While the excellent tension and bond strengths of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) make it ideal for this purpose, the time at which UHPC achieves its design strength is directly proportional to the rate of hydration of the cementitious binder. While UHPC may provide the best solution in many instances, alternative joint materials that utilize polymer binders, instead of cementitious ones, may be more suitable if rapid strength gain is needed. This project explores a potential alternative closure joint material, fiber-reinforced polymer concrete (FRPC), which displays levels of the two critical characteristics (bond and tension strength) that are comparable to, or potentially better than, those of UHPC. FRPC has the advantage of requiring shorter closure windows (approximately 4 hours versus 72 hours of UHPC) due to the very rapid strength gain of the polymer, which could be ideal for overnight construction or rehabilitation projects, and provides an additional option to the engineer and contractor when choosing a closure joint material for a given circumstance.

• Record URL:
  https://abc-utc.fiu.edu/research-projects/exploring-fiber-reinforced-polymer-concrete-for-accelerated-bridge-construction-applications/

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $70000
• 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

  University of Washington, Seattle

  1107 NE 45th Street, Suite 535
  Seattle, WA  United States  98105

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Principal Investigators:

  Thonstad, Travis

• Start Date: 20210201
• Expected Completion Date: 20230804
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bond strength (Materials); Bridge construction; Fiber reinforced polymers; Materials at high or low temperatures; Mechanical properties; Polymer concrete; Splicing; Tensile strength
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01766552
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC)
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747121
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Mar 9 2021 11:32AM