Lightweight, Durable, and Cost-Effective: Advancing Voided Concrete Technology with Engineered Cementitious Composites

Voided concrete technology, which integrates hollow plastic spheres into concrete to create a lightweight, material-efficient structure, has gained attention in construction for its ability to reduce concrete use by 30–50% and for its lower dead loads. This innovation is particularly promising for transportation infrastructure such as bridge decks, railway platforms, and parking garages where weight reduction directly impacts foundation costs and construction efficiency. Current voided concrete systems demonstrate 70–90% of conventional slab and beam load-bearing capacity, with enhanced flexural performance due to optimized reinforcement distribution. However, limitations persist: (i) reduced stiffness and shear resistance compared to solid slabs/beams, (ii) sensitivity to sphere placement errors, requiring specialized labor, and (iii) durability concerns in high-stress environments like heavy-traffic bridge decks. These challenges hinder broader adoption in transportation, where structures demand high durability, fatigue resistance, and minimal maintenance. This project will evaluate replacing conventional concrete with Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) in the existing voided concrete technology to address current limitations while leveraging material synergies. Indeed, ECC, reinforced with polyethylene fibers, offers superior mechanical performance in tensile ductility and strain-hardening behavior, mitigating shear and crack propagation issues in voided slabs and beams. In addition, the compressive strength exceeds that of conventional concrete, which in turn compensates for capacity reductions from voids. In terms of durability in harsh environments, the crack-width control in ECC enhances corrosion resistance, which is critical for bridge decks exposed to de-icing salts. Finally, the proposed solution is cost-effective through material efficiency as ECC’s higher cost is offset by combining its performance with voided concrete material reduction. This study will include a series of mechanical tests on lab-scale voided biaxial beams made with ECC and regular concrete to assess the viability and quantify the expected improvements in structural behavior. The study will provide crucial information on the newly proposed voided ECC technology and will explore: (i) the possibility of constructing longer bridge spans with reduced deck weight, minimizing pier and foundation requirements, (ii) an accelerated construction via potential prefabricated ECC voided modules, and (iii) potential service life extension through enhanced fatigue and corrosion resistance.

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

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $80,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348306 (CY3-UNM-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:

  University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

  Department of Civil Engineering
  Albuquerque, NM  United States  87131-0001
• Principal Investigators:

  Pathirage, Madura

  Hojati, Maryam

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

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge construction; Cement; Compressive strength; Cracking; Durability; Lightweight concrete; Mechanical properties
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Design; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01975762
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Southern Plains Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348306 (CY3-UNM-04)
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 6 2026 5:19PM