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Ultra-High Performance Concrete

 

Advances in the science of concrete materials have led to the development of a new class of cementitious composites called ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). The mechanical and durability properties of UHPC make it an ideal candidate for use in developing new solutions to pressing concerns about highway infrastructure deterioration, repair, and replacement. Since 2000, when UHPC became commercially available in the United States, a series of research projects has demonstrated the capabilities of the material. A handful of State transportation departments have deployed UHPC components within their infrastructure, and many more are actively considering the use of UHPC.

UHPC is a cementitious composite material composed of an optimized gradation of granular constituents, a water-to-cementitious materials ratio less than 0.25, and a high percentage of discontinuous internal fiber reinforcement. The mechanical properties of UHPC include compressive strength greater than 21.7 ksi (150 MPa) and sustained postcracking tensile strength greater than 0.72 ksi (5 MPa).  UHPC has a discontinuous pore structure that reduces liquid ingress, significantly enhancing durability as compared to conventional and high-performance concretes.

UHPC is being considered for use in a wide variety of highway infrastructure applications. The high compressive and tensile strengths allow for the redesign and optimization of structural elements. Concurrently, the enhanced durability properties facilitate a lengthening of design life and allow for potential use as thin overlays, claddings, or shells. In the United States, UHPC has been used in prestressed concrete girder simple-span bridges, precast concrete deck panels, and field-cast connections between prefabricated bridge components. The photo below shows the first UHPC highway bridge constructed in the U.S.

This Wapello County, Iowa, structure was the first UHPC bridge constructed in the United States. The bridge includes three UHPC prestressed I-girders spanning a creek in rural Iowa.
This Wapello County, Iowa, structure was the first UHPC bridge constructed in the United States. The bridge includes three UHPC prestressed I-girders spanning a creek in rural Iowa.

UHPCs have demonstrated exceptional performance when used as a field-cast closure pour or grout material in applications requiring the onsite connection of multiple prefabricated elements. This use of UHPC has gained significant momentum recently, with States around the country considering the application. The photo below, courtesy of New York State department of transportation (DOT), shows UHPC being field-cast into the deck-level connections between two deck-bulb-tee prestressed girders.

Longitudinal connections are cast between deck-bulb-tee girders on the Route 31 Bridge in Lyons, NY. Field-cast UHPC can simplify connection details and ease constructability. This photo shows the casting of fluid ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) from a wheelbarrow into the void space between the top flanges of two deck-bulb-tee prestressed concrete girders. The rebar can be seen extending from the girders into the void. The UHPC is self-consolidating. Source: New York State Department of Transportation.
Longitudinal connections are cast between deck-bulb-tee girders on the Route 31 Bridge in Lyons, NY. Field-cast UHPC can simplify connection details and ease constructability. This photo shows the casting of fluid ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) from a wheelbarrow into the void space between the top flanges of two deck-bulb-tee prestressed concrete girders. The rebar can be seen extending from the girders into the void. The UHPC is self-consolidating. Source: New York State Department of Transportation.

UHPC is also being investigated for use in a variety of other applications. These applications include precast concrete piles, seismic retrofit of substandard bridge substructures, thin-bonded overlays on deteriorated bridge decks, and security and blast mitigation applications. In a general sense, UHPC has proven to be particularly relevant in applications where conventional solutions are lacking. For example, conventional connection solutions have hindered the use of prefabricated elements; field-cast UHPC allows for a redesign and simplification of the system while simultaneously promoting long-term durability.

Further introductory information on UHPC can be found in FHWA TechNote HRT-11-038 Ultra-High Performance Concrete. Information on the use of UHPC in field-cast connections as part of prefabricated bridge elements and systems (PBES) projects can be found in FHWA TechNote HRT-12-038 Construction of Field-Cast Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections.

Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA’s) UHPC research and development program has produced a range of publications pertaining to the performance and use of UHPC.

 

UHPC Program Overview

  • UHPC in the U.S. Highway Infrastructure
      Accession: Proceedings of the International Workshop on Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete, Marseille, France, November 2009, 8 pp.
      Author: Ben Graybeal
  • UHPC Making Strides
      Accession: Public Roads, V. 72, No. 4, January-February 2009, pp. 17-21
      Author: Ben Graybeal

 

Field-Cast UHPC Connections for Modular Components

  • Ultra-High Performance Concrete Composite Connections for Precast Concrete Bridge Decks
    • Executive Summary
        Accession: FHWA TechBrief HRT-12-042
        Author: Ben Graybeal
        Year: May 2012
    • Full Report
        Accession: NTIS Report No. PB2012-107569
        Author: Ben Graybeal
        Year: May 2012
  • Behavior of Field-Cast Ultra-High Performance Concrete Bridge Deck Connections Under Cyclic and Static Structural Loading
    • Executive Summary
        Accession: FHWA TechBrief HRT-11-022
        Author: Ben Graybeal
        Year: November 2010
    • Full Report
        Accession: NTIS Report No. PB2011-101995
        Author: Ben Graybeal
        Year: November 2010
  • Behavior of Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections Between Precast Bridge Deck Elements
      Accession: Proceedings of the Concrete Bridge Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, February 2010, 13 pp.
      Author: Ben Graybeal
  • Fatigue Response of an Ultra-High Performance Concrete Field-Cast Bridge Deck Connection
      Accession: Transportation Research Record No. 2251, Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C., 2011, pp 93-100.
      Author: Ben Graybeal

 

UHPC Material Characterization

 

UHPC I-Girder Research

 

UHPC Pi-Girder Research

  • Structural Behavior of a 2nd Generation Ultra-High Performance Concrete Pi-Girder
    • Executive Summary
        Accession: FHWA TechBrief HRT-09-069
        Author: Ben Graybeal
        Year: October 2009
    • Full Report
        Accession: NTIS Report No. PB2009-115496
        Author: Ben Graybeal
        Year: October 2009
  • Structural Behavior of a Prototype Ultra-High Performance Concrete Pi-Girder
    • Executive Summary
        Accession: FHWA TechBrief HRT-09-068
        Author: Ben Graybeal
        Year: October 2009
    • Full Report
        Accession: NTIS Report No. PB2009-115495
        Author: Ben Graybeal
        Year: October 2009
  • Design, Fabrication, and Testing of a 2nd Generation Ultra-High Performance Concrete Pi Girder
      Accession: Proceedings of the 3rd fib International Congress, Washington D.C., May 2010, 14 pp.
      Author: Ben Graybeal

 

UHPC Precast Deck Panel Research

  • Analysis of an Ultra-High Performance Concrete Two-Way Ribbed Bridge Deck Slab
    • Executive Summary
        Accession: FHWA TechBrief HRT-07-055
        Author: Hector Garcia and Ben Graybeal
        Year: October 2007
    • Full Report
        Accession: NTIS Report No. PB2007-112112
        Author: Hector Garcia and Ben Graybeal
        Year: August 2007

 

UHPC Computational Modeling

  • Finite Element Analysis of Ultra-High Performance Concrete: Modeling Structural Performance of an AASHTO Type II Girder and a 2nd Generation Pi-Girder
    • Executive Summary
        Accession: FHWA TechBrief HRT-10-079
        Author: Linfeng Chen and Ben Graybeal
        Year: October 2010
    • Full Report
        Accession: NTIS Report No. PB2011-100864
        Author: Linfeng Chen and Ben Graybeal
        Year: October 2010

 

The FHWA UHPC Research Program has been conducted through the FHWA Office of Infrastructure R&D at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center.  Further information can be obtained by contacting Ben Graybeal (benjamin.graybeal@dot.gov; 202-493-3122).