Development and Characterization of UHPC Including Carbon Fibers and Internal Curing for Bridge Deck Overlays

Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) is an advanced concrete material with outstanding mechanical properties and considerable potential for extending the life of bridges. While traditionally based on Portland cement and reinforced with steel fibers, UHPC formulations reinforced with Carbon Fibers (CFs) of different scales have been recently investigated. Pilot experiments show promising results. Common dispersion techniques allow for CF contents under 1% by weight of cementitious content to avoid dispersion-related issues, such as clumping and balling, which affect the homogeneity of the matrix and deteriorate mechanical performance. These techniques are inefficient to fully explore the potential of CF in UHPC and additional research is needed to examine the effect of high concentrations of CF reinforcement on these matrices in pursuit of tensile properties equal to or above what is obtained with steel fiber reinforcement. Additionally, rapid setting calcium sulfoaluminate cement and internal curing have significant potential for reducing the environmental impacts of UHPC, improving the speed of strength gain, and improving overall performance of UHPC bridge deck overlays while reducing the unit weight of the material. This study will investigate UHPC formulations reinforced with high concentrations of CF at multiple scales using a dispersion technique that allows fiber contents of up to 4% by weight. Additionally, UHPC formulations using alternative cementitious materials and curing methods to achieve reduced environmental impacts, light weight, and improved durability will be investigated. This research entails the investigation of multi-scale carbon fiber reinforcement of UHPC mix designs aiming to achieve flexural strengths and strain hardening behavior similar or superior to the levels typically obtained with steel fibers. It will also examine the impact of calcium sulfoaluminate cement and internal curing on the same behaviors and compare performance of the best mix designs when used as a structural overlay. Small-scale four-point bending tests will be conducted to measure the flexural strength and ultimate strain of UHPC specimens and overlay specimens will be tested in flexure with the UHPC portion on the flexural tension side. The following tasks will be pursued in this multi-institutional study. Task 1: Evaluation of carbon fibers (lead: TAMU); Task 2: Evaluation of calcium sulfoaluminate cement and internal curing (lead: OU); Task 3: SEM evaluation of microstructure (lead: TAMU); Task 4: Construction of overlay specimens (lead: OU and TAMU); Task 5: Bridge deck overlay specimen testing (lead: OU), and Task 6: Final report and dissemination of results (lead: TAMU and OU).

• Record URL:
  • https://www.sptc.org/cy2-tamu-ou-01

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $194,999.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348306

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Southern Plains Transportation Center

  University of Oklahoma
  202 W Boyd St, Room 213A
  Norman, OK  United States  73019
• Project Managers:

  Dunn, Denise

• Performing Organizations:

  Texas A&M University, College Station

  Zachry Department of Civil Engineering
  3136 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3136

  University of Oklahoma, Norman

  School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science
  202 West Boyd Street, Room 334
  Norman, OK  United States  73019
• Principal Investigators:

  Skillen, Kinsey

  Floyd, Royce

• Start Date: 20241001
• Expected Completion Date: 20250930
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge decks; Carbon fibers; Curing agents; Overlays (Pavements); Ultra high performance concrete
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01945969
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Southern Plains Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348306
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Feb 13 2025 3:05PM