International Concrete Abstracts Portal

SP-228CD This CD-ROM of Special Publication 228 contains the papers presented at the Seventh International Symposium on the Utilization of High-Strength/High- Performance Concrete that was held in Washington, D.C., USA, June 20-24, 2005. The symposium continued the success of previous symposia held in Stavanger, Norway, (1987); Berkeley, California (1990); Lillehammer, Norway, (1993); Paris, France, (1996); Sandefjord, Norway, (1999); and Leipzig, Germany, (2002). The symposium brought together engineers and material scientists from around the world to discuss topics ranging from the latest applications to the most recent research on high-strength and high-performance concrete. In the years since the first symposium was held in Stavanger, there has been worldwide growth in the use of both high-strength and high-performance concrete. In addition to more research and applications of traditional types of high-performance concrete, the use of self-consolidating concrete and ultra-high-performance concrete has moved from the laboratory to practical applications. This publication offers the opportunity to learn the latest about these developments.

The utilization of high performance concrete (HPC) has increased substantially in the last decade. HPC can provide enhanced mechanical and durability properties and at the same time allow efficient placement and finishing. HPC has been utilized for cost-effective construction of bridges, buildings and pavements in most countries. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has played a key role in the HPC technology transfer from research and development to routine practice for bridge and pavement design and construction. FHWA’s HPC implementation activities began in 1991. HPC implementation for highway bridges in the USA has been a success story. The success has been largely due to a long-term continuing partnership between FHWA, State Departments of Transportation, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), local agencies, industry and academia. This paper provides an historic perspective on the HPC implementation activities since the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) in late 1980’s and the subsequent programs and activities. Forty-four State Departments of Transportation have utilized HPC. HPC implementation has contributed significantly to improvements in highway infrastructure. Implementation of the long-term strategic plan developed by the industry will further contribute toward meeting the goals which include reduced congestion and improved safety, trained workforce, reduced life cycle costs and improved quality as well as reliability.

This paper contains an historical review of self-compacting concrete clarifies and the original concept. Further, combinations of self-compacting concrete for high strength and durability are discussed in relation to structural concrete design, construction and maintenance, and recent development of performance-based design codes and manuals for SCC. On the competitiveness in industries, life-cycle cost is estimated for sustainable development of the infrastructure.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) encourages the use of high performance concrete (HPC) to improve the long-term performance of the nation’s infrastructure at lower life-cycle costs. For its purposes, the FHWA uses 11 performance criteria to define high performance concrete, and it designates three levels of performance for each criterion, with Grade 3 being the most stringent. For FHWA projects, the specifier is expected to select the criteria necessary for a given element, and then select an appropriate performance grade. It’s not necessary or desirable to specify the same performance grade for all characteristics. Guide Specification for High Performance Concrete for Bridge Elements provides mandatory language that the specifier can cut and paste into project specifications, as well as guidance on what characteristics should be specified in a given case, and what criterion is needed to ensure satisfactory performance. It includes commentary that tells how to obtain the desired performance for each characteristic. In cases where two performance criteria are in conflict, the commentary advices the user how to balance conflicting requirements.

The Concrete Pavement Technology Program (CPTP) is a national program of research, development, and technology transfer sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration. The focus of the program is on implementing improved methods of designing, constructing, evaluating, maintaining, and rehabilitating portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements in order to promote cost-effective designs and long-term performance for federal-aid highways. Research is conducted to address State highway agency, FHWA, industry, and academia needs. Innovative designs and improved methods are evaluated through demonstrations and field trials of high performance concrete pavements by the various State highway agencies. An extensive implementation effort is included to encourage early adoption of promising research results.