Documentation of the INDOT Experience and Construction of the Bridge Decks Containing Internal Curing in 2013

Abstract

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) constructed four bridge decks utilizing internally cured, high performance concrete (IC HPC) during the summer of 2013. These decks implement research findings from the research presented in the FHWA/IN/JTRP‐2010/10 report where internal curing was proposed as one method to reduce the potential for shrinkage cracking, leading to improved durability. The objective of this research was to document the construction of the four IC HPC bridge decks that were constructed in Indiana during 2013 and quantify the properties and performance of these decks. This report contains documentation of the production and construction of IC HPC concrete for the four bridge decks in this study. In addition, samples of the IC HPC used in construction were compared with a reference high performance concrete (HPC) which did not utilize internal curing. These samples were transported to the laboratory where the mechanical properties, resistance to chloride migration, and potential for shrinkage and cracking was assessed. Using experimental results and mixture proportions, the diffusion based service life of the bridge decks was able to be estimated. Collectively, the results indicate that the IC HPC mixtures that were produced as a part of this study exhibit the potential to more than triple the service life of the typical bridge deck in Indiana while reducing the early age autogenous shrinkage by more than 80% compared to non‐internally cured concretes.