Title: Development of Precast Bridge Slabs in High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete and Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

Author(s): Frédéric Lachance, Jean-Philippe Charron, and Bruno Massicotte

Publication: Structural Journal

Volume: 113

Issue: 5

Appears on pages(s): 929-939

Keywords: bridges; crack width; cyclic loads; flexural behavior; highperformance fiber-reinforced concrete; precast slabs; static loading; ultimate strength; ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete

DOI: 10.14359/51689020

Date: 9/1/2016

Abstract:
In this study, the mechanical behavior of cast-in-place (CIP) and precast bridge slabs in transverse bending was established with static and fatigue tests simulating truck loading. The three selected slab configurations include a high-performance concrete (HPC) CIP slab, and two fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) precast slabs: one hybrid design using high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (HPFRC) and ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC), and one using only UHPFRC. The structural behavior of the three slabs is analyzed and compared in terms of stiffness, deflection, crack opening, and ultimate strength. The static tests demonstrated that all three slab configurations largely exceeded the design criterion of ultimate strength, even after the application of cyclic loadings. The hybrid and UHPFRC slabs showed minor crack widths in service and fatigue conditions, whereas the reference HPC slab presented crack widths superior to the 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) criterion under the same conditions.