Rehabilitation of Deteriorated Timber Piles Using Ultra High Performance Concrete

The proposed research focuses on rehabilitating deteriorated timber piles using Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) to extend the service life of aging bridge infrastructure commonly found across rural Louisiana. Timber piles are increasingly affected by environmental and biological degradation, particularly at wet-dry interface zones, as well as physical damage from floating debris, excessive loading, and failure of adjacent piles. Full replacement of the piles is often economically unfeasible, making an effective rehabilitation solution essential due to its lower cost, reduced material usage, and minimal disruption to service. This project will develop a novel UHPC-based rehabilitation strategy specifically tailored for deteriorated timber piles, with the goal of restoring structural performance, enhancing durability, and enabling practical field implementation. A key technical contribution lies in the development and experimental validation of an effective composite interface between timber and UHPC. Through targeted small-scale experiments, the bond and shear transfer mechanisms at the timber-UHPC interface will be quantified, and optimal surface preparation techniques will be identified to maximize bond performance, an area currently lacking standardized guidance. Large-scale experimental testing will generate a comprehensive dataset on the structural performance of deteriorated timber piles strengthened with UHPC jackets, evaluating the effectiveness of different rehabilitation configurations. These tests will assess critical performance parameters such as axial load-carrying capacity, stiffness recovery, and failure modes, under conditions that simulate field-relevant deterioration. Complementing the experimental work, advanced finite element modeling will be developed and validated against the experimental findings. This model will capture the complex interaction between timber and UHPC under service conditions and will serve as a predictive tool for evaluating the efficacy of different rehabilitation configurations. Through a comprehensive parametric study, the model will be used to investigate the influence of key design variables. The findings from both experimental and numerical investigations will provide valuable insights into the structural enhancement achievable through UHPC rehabilitation and will significantly advance current practice by development of practical design guidelines and recommendations. This work will promote the adoption of UHPC as durable, high-performance solutions for extending the service life of aging timber piles in transportation and waterfront infrastructure. Consultation with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) will guide the research direction and assist in planning future in-field applications. By delivering a scalable, effective, and economically viable rehabilitation strategy, this research directly supports the mission of the Southern Plains Transportation Center (SPTC) and aligns with the USDOT’s statutory priority of improving the durability and extending the service life of transportation infrastructure.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.sptc.org/cy3-ltu-04

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $80,302.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348306 (CY3-LTU-04)

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Southern Plains Transportation Center

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

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

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

  University of Oklahoma, Norman

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

  Ghasemi, Hamid

• Performing Organizations:

  Louisiana Tech University, Ruston

  Ruston, LA  United States  71272
• Principal Investigators:

  Solhmirzaei, Roya

• Start Date: 20260101
• Expected Completion Date: 20270101
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: UTC

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge construction; Bridge piers; Deterioration; Rehabilitation; Timber; Ultra high performance concrete
• Geographic Terms: Louisiana
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01975687
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Southern Plains Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348306 (CY3-LTU-04)
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 5 2026 10:38PM