International Perspective on UHPC in Bridge Engineering
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 25, Issue 11
Abstract
Ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) offers significant potential to address a variety of needs in bridge design, construction, and performance enhancement. Bridge owners have shown willingness to embrace novel solutions that could address specific challenges related to the cost, speed of construction, durability, and service life of their projects. There are hundreds of bridges worldwide that, largely in the past decade, have utilized UHPC. These applications range from minor field-cast closures to precast segments for long-span bridges to kilometer-long bridge deck overlays on a signature structure. The objective of this paper is to promote the application of this class of cementitious material in bridge engineering by presenting the progress that has been made in different regions of the world in the past two decades. Today, UHPC is being widely used in Malaysia to design and construct many bridges of different types and spans as they build out their roadway network. In South Korea, the unique characteristics of UHPC are being utilized to advance the state-of-the-art in long-span bridges. The French were early adopters and pioneers in building a strong foundation for using UHPC in a variety of bridge applications. In Switzerland, UHPC is employed to address major bridge rehabilitation needs. The United States bridge sector has embraced UHPC for a variety of field-cast connections. Current research and development efforts are promoting the use of UHPC in major rehabilitation projects and construction of primary bridge components. The adoption of UHPC solutions into the bridge sector is progressing rapidly because of the unique opportunities provided by the strength and durability of the material. It is expected that additional innovations and refinements of solutions will occur as knowledge of the material proliferates.
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Acknowledgments
The drafting of this paper was led by Graybeal and Zaghi. The Swiss portion was authored by Brühwiler. The South Korean portion was authored by Kim. The French portion was authored by Toutlemonde. The Malaysian portion was authored by Voo. All authors acknowledge that, although serving as informal representatives of their respective countries, the knowledge that they have presented is indicative of broader advancements efforts in their local regions.
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Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 25 • Issue 11 • November 2020
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© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Dec 20, 2019
Accepted: Jun 9, 2020
Published online: Sep 3, 2020
Published in print: Nov 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Jan 3, 2021
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