Reinforced Concrete Bridge Deck Slabs Research Articles

Experimental Study on Flexural Resistance of UHPC Wet Joint Precast Reinforced Concrete Bridge Deck Slabs with Variable Cross-Section

With the convenient and fast requirements for construction in bridge engineering, prefabricated assembly technology is widely applied in engineering construction. Typically, prefabricated bridge decks are connected through cast-in-place wet joints. Wet joints, as the primary load-bearing parts of bridge decks, undergo complex stress and are prone to cracking and damage. Particularly in the negative bending moment region of bridges, the influence of tensile stress on wet joints is more severe, thus enhancing the mechanical performance and crack resistance of joints becomes crucial. This paper investigates the mechanical behavior of prefabricated reinforced concrete bridge deck panels with variable cross-sections under negative bending moments, focusing on the performance of Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) wet joints. Full-scale experimental tests were conducted on a 176 m steel truss composite continuous rigid bridge, employing C50 concrete panels with UHPC wet joints. Results show three distinct stages: elastic, crack initiation and propagation, and failure. The maximum failure load reached 822 kN, with a maximum displacement of 21.64 mm. Concrete strains indicate compressive stress near the wet joint and tensile stress near the loading positions. Cracks primarily develop at the wet joint interface and propagate under increasing load, ultimately leading to flexural–shear failure near the variable cross-section of the wet joint. Numerical simulations using ABAQUS/CAE (2020) corroborate experimental findings, closely matching load-displacement curves and identifying damage locations. The study demonstrates that UHPC wet joints significantly enhance crack resistance, meeting design requirements for improved mechanical performance in bridge structures subjected to negative bending moments.

A Review of Strength And Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Bridge Deck Slabs Overlaid with Ultra High-performance Concrete (uhpc)

The use of Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) for repairing damaged structures has been discovered in recent decades. Unique properties of UHPC give superior structural performance for strengthening the existing bridge or slab. The lack of data has been available in code provisions about this strengthening technology, that is why reviewing the experimental studies can guide application. This literature study presented the experimental database with its evaluation for the number of researchers to examine the effectiveness of strengthening bridges or slabs with UHPC. Also, this study discussed the basic parameters which affect the strengthening process directly, including interface preparation, size effect, characteristics of substrate NSC and characteristics of UHPC overlay. Different failure modes of composite structures were identified under flexure. In addition, based on the existing works of literature an estimate equation has been developed to predict the cracking and failure load of strengthening composite structures. The experimental studies evidenced that the UHPC can prolong the life of existing old structures and reduce the cost of maintenance. Finally, some recommendations are suggested for future work to obtain a more accurate result

Flexural and Shear Tests on Reinforced Concrete Bridge Deck Slab Segments with a Textile-Reinforced Concrete Strengthening Layer.

Many older bridges feature capacity deficiencies. This is mainly due to changes in code provisions which came along with stricter design rules and increasing traffic, leading to higher loads on the structure. To address capacity deficiencies of bridges, refined structural analyses with more detailed design approaches can be applied. If bridge assessment does not provide sufficient capacity, strengthening can be a pertinent solution to extend the bridge’s service lifetime. For numerous cases, applying an extra layer of textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) can be a convenient method to achieve the required resistance. Here, carbon fibre-reinforced polymer reinforcement together with a high-performance mortar was used within the scope of developing a strengthening layer for bridge deck slabs, called SMART-DECK. Due to the high tensile strength of the carbon and its resistance to corrosion, a thin layer with high strength and low additional dead load can be realised. While the strengthening effect of TRC for slabs under flexural loading has already been investigated several times, the presented test programme also covered increase in shear capacity, which is the other crucial failure mode to be considered in design. A total of 14 large-scale tests on TRC-strengthened slab segments were tested under static and cyclic loading. The experimental study revealed high increases in capacity for both bending and shear failure.

Field Destructive Testing of a Reinforced Concrete Bridge Deck Slab

Abstract Many bridge deck slabs in Europe are rated insufficient load-carrying capacity in shear and punching according to the Eurocodes. In the past, assessment models have mainly been developed f...

Shear Capacity of a RC Bridge Deck Slab: Comparison between Multilevel Assessment and Field Test

AbstractFor reinforced concrete (RC) slabs without shear reinforcement, shear and punching can be the governing failure mode at the ultimate limit state if subjected to large concentrated loads. Sh...

Shear assessment of a reinforced concrete bridge deck slab according to level‐of‐approximation approach

Reinforced concrete (RC) slabs without shear reinforcement are commonly used for existing bridge structures. For such structures, shear and punching can be the governing failure modes at the ultimate limit state if subjected to large concentrated loads. The aim of this study is to examine a structured approach for the analyses of the RC bridge deck slabs, which make up a considerable proportion of the currently used bridge decks. The method used for analyses is the levels‐of‐approximation introduced in fib Model Code for Concrete Structures 2010. The different levels include simplified calculation method, linear finite element analysis as well as non‐linear finite element analysis. The differences between analysis methods at different levels of analyses were discussed regarding one‐way shear and punching shear behavior of the slab.

Prediction Methods for Ultimate Strengths in GFRP Reinforced Concrete Bridge Deck Slabs

The corrosion of reinforcement embedded in concrete bridge deck slabs has been the cause of major deterioration and of high costs in repair and maintenance. Fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) exhibit high durability in combination with high strength and light weight. The majority of research with FRP bars for reinforcing concrete has been on simply supported beams and slabs where the low value of elasticity of FRP has meant that the service behaviour has been critical. These differences have been attributed to the low value of elasticity of many FRPs compared to steel. However, laterally restrained slabs, such as those in bridge deck slabs, exhibit arching action or compressive membrane action (CMA), which has a beneficial influence on the service behaviour such as the deflection. Based on the previous research on CMA in steel reinforced concrete bridge deck slabs, a modified theoretical method were established according to the material properties of GFRP reinforcement. The proposed prediction method showed a good collection of some reported GFRP reinforced slabs experimental tests.

Mechanism of Early Cracking and Serviceability of Precast Reinforced Concrete Bridge Deck Slabs

In the light of the mechanism of early cracking in a batch of precast reinforced concrete hollow slabs of four certain bridges in construction whose midspan appears transverse cracks, investigation ranging from method of construction to distribution of cracks are conducted in situ. The possibility of the occurrence of cracks is discussed in detail. Theoretical calculation as well as numerical analysis reveals that the main reason of formation early cracking in slabs is self-weight loading. In order to assess the performance of the bridge deck system which appears cracks and evaluate the effect of early cracking on structural behavior, numerical analysis is performed to conclude that the bridge deck is satisfied with the serviceability requirements. In view of the fact that this kind of slab is widely used in bridge projects for convenience in construction and advantage in cost, effective and economical crack control measurement and technical proposal are recommended with regard to the design, construction and amendment of design specifications.

Reinforced concrete bridge deck reliability model incorporating temporal and spatial variations of probabilistic corrosion rate sensor data

The reliability of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge decks depends significantly on the rate of corrosion of the reinforcing steel. Structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques, including embedded corrosion rate sensors, can greatly improve the quantification of the steel corrosion rate, which can lead to improved estimates of structural safety and serviceability. Due to uncertainties in concrete properties, environmental conditions, and other factors, the rate of corrosion of reinforcing steel can be highly variable, both within a given structural component and over time. By placing multiple corrosion rate sensors throughout a structural component, such as a bridge deck, these spatial and temporal variabilities can be monitored and as such better predicted, for use in a reliability model. The objective of this investigation is to present a reliability model for a RC bridge deck incorporating both spatial and temporal variations of probabilistic corrosion rate sensor data. This objective is accomplished using a computational reliability model and Monte Carlo simulation. Corrosion rate sensor data is assumed for multiple critical sections throughout a RC bridge deck over time by applying empirical spatial and temporal relationships. This data is then used to improve an existing spatially invariant reliability model. The improved reliability model incorporates several sub-models to determine the changes in load effects on and resistance of a RC bridge deck slab over time, as well as spatial correlation of corrosion and a system approach to account for spatial variability. The improved reliability model incorporating both spatial and temporal variations in corrosion rate data provides a better estimate of the service life of a RC bridge deck slab.