Articles

Development of Fast-Setting UHPFRC for Bridge Deck Overlay

---

Abstract

This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.

There are approximately 730,000 road bridges in Japan. About half of them will be 50 years old by 2030. Many of these bridges are suffering from fatigue deterioration of the slabs due to the heavy repeated wheel loads and number of vehicles, chloride attack caused by the application of de-icing agents and damage caused by the freeze-thaw effect. Deteriorated slabs have been repaired by the bridge deck overlay method, which involves removing and replacing the top surface. However, the conventional material used for the repair, which is Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC), has poor workability, integrity, and degradation has recured. Therefore, as a material for the bridge deck overlay method, we developed a fast-setting Ultra-High Performance Fiber-Reinforced Cement-based Composite (UHPFRC). UHPFRC is a suitable material for repairing and reinforcing slabs because it has high crack resistance, density, and excellent durability. Since the compressive strength of the fast-setting UHPFRC is quickly developed, the traffic can be opened in three hours after pouring the UHPFRC. In addition, its fluidity can be adjusted to suit the construction area with cross-slopes up to 10%. With developing the fast-setting UHPFRC, the dedicated batch plant, transporter, and concrete paving machine have been also deployed. By means of the above-mentioned developments construction can be carried out in only one lane at night. This results in reducing the impact on road users.

Rights: © 2013 The Author(s). All rights reserved.