Grant: Engage Plus Grants Program

There is a growing need for durable and resilient prefabricated bridge systems which facilitate rapid completion of on-site activities in order to minimize the impact on the travelling public. Prefabricated bridges can provide higher quality, accelerated, and safer construction; however, greater offsite prefabrications of bridge components necessitates an increased reliance on the long-term performance of field-installed connections between these components. Research on the materials between precast bridge components has emerged in the last decade. Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) whose mechanical and durability properties far exceed those of conventional concretes present the opportunity to significantly enhance the performance of these field-applied connections, thus facilitating the wider use of prefabricated bridge deck systems. Of particular interest here, UHPCs can exhibit exceptional bond when cast against previously cast concrete and can significantly shorten the development length of embedded discrete bars into the precast joints. More recently, the concept of using the properties of UHPC to redesign the connections between prefabricated bridge components has been recognized in North America. Field-cast UHPC connections between prefabricated bridge components have now been implemented in few bridges in Canada and U.S. However, research is need to develop UHPC to increase market competitiveness that will reflect on optimizing spending tax payers' money in Canada's bridge infrastructure. This project is a continuation of a recent NSERC Engage grant to further optimize the design of UHPC mix and extend it to include steel fibers in the mix (UHPFRC) for enhanced strength and durability.