Articles

Life-Cycle Cost Analysis of Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) in Retrofitting Applications

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Abstract

Bridge components are affected by loads and environmental stressors, deteriorating faster or even collapse without effective maintenance and rehabilitation strategies. Furthermore, wet-dry cycling and higher concentrations of chlorides in coastal areas accelerates the deterioration process of bridges while increasing the frequency of maintenance and cost of the repairs. To address this problem, innovative materials like Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) should be considered in the development and implementation of maintenance and rehabilitation strategies. A comparison of conventional and UHPC applications for bridge repairs is presented in this study using Life Cycle Cost Analysis. Agency and user costs were quantified. A life expectancy model framework is proposed based on chloride corrosion model and Monte Carlo simulation. A case study is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the LCCA methodology, and it was found that the use of UHPC can result in a significant reduction in the total life cycle cost. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the life expectancy, Average Daily Traffic (ADT) and construction duration of the rehabilitation activity have the most significant effects on the life cycle cost. The life expectancy model predicts that 40% spalling damage is expected for conventional concrete after 30 years, and the same amount of spalling damage is projected for UHPC after 80 years. Products from this research aims to support funding allocation decisions at both network and project management level. The step-by-step LCCA methodology is developed in this study to identify cost-effective retrofitting techniques to preserve bridges in a "State of Good repair".

Keywords: life cycle cost analysis, life expectancy, UHPC

How to Cite:

Hossain, A. & Chang, C. M., (2023) “Life-Cycle Cost Analysis of Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) in Retrofitting Applications”, International Interactive Symposium on Ultra-High Performance Concrete 3(1): 82. doi: https://doi.org/10.21838/uhpc.16694

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