Project Description

This project directly supports the mission of the Center for Healthy and Durable Transportation (CHDT) by advancing innovative, implementable solutions to extend the service life of aging bridge infrastructure. The research focuses on developing and validating a modular, lightweight ultra-high-performance concrete panel system (UHPC-PS) for rehabilitating corrosion-damaged steel H-piles—critical substructure elements in U.S. bridges. By integrating advanced materials (fiber-reinforced UHPC and CFRP grids) with practical field deployment strategies and full-scale performance validation under realistic service and seismic loading, the project enhances infrastructure durability, constructability, long-term performance, and public safety, directly benefiting transportation agencies.

Outputs: 

This research will produce a novel, lightweight modular ultra-high-performance concrete panel system (UHPC-PS) specifically engineered for the rehabilitation of corrosion-damaged bridge steel H-pile columns and steel H-sections. A reduced-density, fiber-reinforced UHPC mixture (incorporating steel and basalt fibers) will be developed and optimized to achieve high strength, durability, and improved constructability with reduced panel weight. The project will deliver detailed engineering designs for prefabricated UHPC panels internally reinforced with CFRP grids to enhance load transfer efficiency and structural performance.

Comprehensive laboratory and full-scale experimental testing will generate validated datasets on axial, eccentric, and combined axial–cyclic (seismic-type) behavior under realistic pre-existing service loads. These data will support the development of calibrated analytical and finite element (FE) models capable of simulating corrosion damage levels, load transfer mechanisms, and repair configurations. The research will also produce standardized design procedures, installation protocols, and a decision-making framework (including a decision tree) to guide rehabilitation strategy selection. Additional output will include technical reports, peer-reviewed journal publications, conference presentations, and implementation guidelines to facilitate adoption by transportation agencies.

Outcomes/Impacts: 

This research will enable transportation agencies to confidently implement a validated, lightweight modular UHPC repair system for corrosion-damaged bridge steel H-pile columns and steel H-sections. The system will restore axial, flexural, and seismic capacity while enhancing durability in aggressive environments, improving structural safety and reliability. Experimentally validated analytical and finite element (FE) models will reduce uncertainty in evaluating deteriorated H-piles under sustained service and combined axial–cyclic loading, supporting more accurate and efficient design practices.

The project will also deliver a practical decision-making framework, including a decision tree to guide agencies in selecting repair, strengthening, or replacement strategies based on corrosion severity and loading demands. Together, these tools and technologies will shorten construction time, reduce lifecycle costs, minimize traffic disruptions, and extend the service life of bridge steel substructures while improving overall cost-efficiency and resilience.