Articles

Two Large Scale UHPC Overlay Deck Rehabilitation Projects in Europe

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Abstract

This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.

Even though the French UHPC industry is well known as a leader of technology, only in 2021, the first UHPC bridge overlay was installed for waterproofing of an existing bridge deck in France. This initial placement provided the owner APRR (Autoroute Paris-Rhin-Rhône) with confidence to scale up by implementing a much larger UHPC overlay installation on the “Pont d’Ouche� bridge in 2022 and 2023. A total of 660 yd3 (500 m3) Smart-Up UHPC with preblended fibers in the premix is produced and placed over an area of 110,000 ft2 (10,000 m2) during four full road closures each lasting 3-4 days. An additional 260 yd3 (200 m3) of UHPC was utilized for covering the concrete knee wall below the siderail to ensure complete waterproofing against chloride ingress of the entire deck. In comparison, Switzerland is widely known for its large number of UHPC overlay rehabilitation projects since 2004. In 2021, Switzerland’s second largest UHPC overlay was placed on “Riddes Viaduct� structure with a length of 4,265’ (1,300 m) and with four highway connection bridges at a length of 600’ (200 m). A total of 1,600 m3 (2,100 yd3) Smart-Up UHPC was installed over an area of 236,000 ft2 (22,000 m2). This material was mixed in an onsite fully automated batch plant and was placed with a self-propelled thin lift paver. This presentation will discuss UHPC material properties, project details, equipment selection, construction methods, placement techniques, temperature impacts, challenges, and key success factors for both UHPC overlay projects in Europe.

Keywords: bridges, project examples. applications

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