Evaluation of UHPC Shell Stay-in-Place Formwork and BCSA Cement Concrete Prestressed Girders

Precast prestressed bridge girders are used for a large percentage of bridges in the United States. These bridges are susceptible to deterioration at the supports due to leaking expansion joints and end region cracking caused by high stresses at the beam ends. This project will evaluate the feasibility and structural performance of a hybrid precast, prestressed concrete girder system that utilizes an ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) shell stay-in-place formwork or end region insert and rapid setting belitic calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement concrete. UHPC is a relatively recent advancement in cementitious composite materials with mechanical and durability properties far exceeding those of conventional concrete. This research is intended to address the concern of end region durability by encapsulating the girder concrete with a nearly impermeable layer of UHPC that is also resistant to cracking. The rapid setting of BCSA cement concrete and use of stay-in-place forms can increase the speed of production of the prestressed girders and BCSA cement concrete has reduced prestress losses over time. The research will consist of evaluating small-scale behavior of composite UHPC shell and BCSA cement concrete compression and flexural elements, and construction and testing of large-scale prestressed beam elements. The objectives of the project are to evaluate the feasibility of using rapid setting BCSA cement concrete in conjunction with a UHPC shell for prestressed concrete elements, determine flexure and shear failure mechanisms and associated capacity for composite UHPC shell elements, and develop effective interface details for the UHPC shell to BCSA cement concrete. This work will be conducted through a series of five tasks. Task 1 will evaluate the surface preparation and deformation compatibility using small-scale testing. Task 2 will consist of the design of prestressed beam specimens using different shell surface preparations and locations along the beam. Task 3 will consist of prestressed beam specimen construction. Task 4 will include flexural and shear testing of the prestressed beam elements. Task 5 will consist of preparing reports and disseminating the project information.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.sptc.org/cy3-ou-08

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $120,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348306 (CY3-OU-08)

• 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:

  University of Oklahoma, Norman

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

  Floyd, Royce

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

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Beams; Bridges; Cement; Cracking; Durability; Girders; Precast concrete; Prestressing; Ultra high performance concrete
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01975707
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Southern Plains Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348306 (CY3-OU-08)
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 6 2026 9:02AM