Behavior of the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Elastic Inclusion at Integral Abutments
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Structure and Bridge Division has promoted and developed guidelines for the use of integral or jointless bridges. The lateral movement of integral abutments due to the repetitive expansion/contraction cycles sometimes causes excessive settlement at the bridge approaches (bump at the end of the bridge). To minimize this problem, VDOT implemented the use of elasticized Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) inclusion. However, the properties of different EPS materials that are available on the market vary widely and there are no standardized tests and reliable data available to assess their suitability for the integral bridge applications. This research will focus on developing specific testing procedures that are relevant to this problem. Long-term mechanical properties of different EPS materials under cyclic load applications will be investigated in detail. Based on the results obtained from these tests, elastic inclusion design recommendations for integral bridges will be proposed.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $385985
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Contract Numbers:
120040
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Sponsor Organizations:
Virginia Transportation Research Council
530 Edgemont Road
Charlottesville, VA United States 22903 -
Managing Organizations:
Virginia Transportation Research Council
530 Edgemont Road
Charlottesville, VA United States 22903 -
Project Managers:
Hoppe, Edward
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Performing Organizations:
Virginia Transportation Research Council
530 Edgemont Road
Charlottesville, VA United States 22903 School of Engineering
CEIE Dept., MSN-6C1
Faifax, VA United States 22030 -
Principal Investigators:
Hoppe, Edward
Tanyu, Burak
Guler, Erol
- Start Date: 20210823
- Expected Completion Date: 20240430
- Actual Completion Date: 0
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Bridge abutments; Cyclic strength; Mechanical properties; Polystyrene; Test procedures
- Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Design; Highways; Materials;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01779055
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Virginia Department of Transportation
- Contract Numbers: 120040
- Files: RIP, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Aug 16 2021 7:57AM