EVENT DETAIL

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is a steel fiber-reinforced, cementitious-based material that offers exceptionally high mechanical and durability related properties, including compressive strengths exceeding 22,000 psi and high ductility compared to conventional concrete. For this reason, UHPC is being considered for a wide variety of highway infrastructure applications to provide innovative design solutions. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which has performed extensive research on UHPC, has taken significant interest in this material for use in Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems (PBES) as one strategy to promote Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC). In the PBES application, field-cast UHPC is used to join prefabricated elements together on-site to form simple, strong, durable, monolithic-like connections for enhanced, long-term performance. Over the past decade, approximately 150 bridge structures throughout North America have incorporated UHPC into their design. This presentation will provide a brief overview about what UHPC is, what characteristics it exhibits, the advantages to using this material, and the various structural applications that have proven successful over the years. The presentation will conclude with a case study example of an ABC project using the UHPC-PBES design methodology.