InfrastructureBridge repair method cuts amount of time, money for bridge maintenance
According to American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, one in nine of the U.S. 607,380 bridges is rated as structurally deficient, and $76 billion is needed to address the issue. The high cost is partly due to the fact that traditional repair methods are time consuming and labor intensive. Researchers, however, say that they have validated a new approach that could significantly reduce the amount of time and money needed to repair bridge components damaged by corrosion: Applying ultrahigh-performance concrete to the ends of corroded bridge beams could restore bearing capacity in a fraction of the time possible with traditional repair techniques.
According to American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, one in nine of the U.S. 607,380 bridges is rated as structurally deficient, and $76 billion is needed to address the issue. The high cost is partly due to the fact that traditional repair methods are time consuming and labor intensive. University of Connecticut (UConn) researchers, however, say that they have validated a new approach that could significantly reduce the amount of time and money needed to repair bridge components damaged by corrosion.
Gusset plates, girders, and other steel bridge components corrode when exposed to deicing salts and other elements. Corrosion as well as aging and other damage can significantly diminish a bridge’s structural stability over time. Repairing the damage traditionally involves removing and replacing the affected elements and/or adding reinforcing steel to the structure, processes that often require lengthy lane closures, heavy equipment, and a lot of manpower.
“We cannot catch up with the rate of damage to the nation’s bridges using current techniques,” says Arash Zaghi, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, an assistant professor in UConn’s civil and environmental engineering department and the principal investigator on the project. “There is a critical need for advanced repair methods.”
An ASCE release reports that the new approach uses ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) to streamline the repair process and restore the bearing capacity lost through corrosion. Michael Culmo, P.E., M.ASCE, the vice president of structures and transportation for the Woodstock, Connecticut-based engineering firm CME Associates, Inc., and a pioneer in accelerated bridge construction, conceived the approach. The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) was intrigued with the concept and launched the research project to determine its viability.
“Based on Federal Highway Administration research, the mechanical 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,” said Rabih Barakat, P.E., M.ASCE, ConnDOT’s principal engineer for in-house bridge design, in written responses to questions posed by Civil Engineering Online.
