Rolling Fatigue Test of Large-Sized UHPC Member for Cable Stayed Bridge

Jeong-Rae Cho, Young Jin Kim, Jong Sup Park, Eun Suk Choi, Won Jong Chin

Structural Engineering Research Division, Korea Institute of Construction Technology, Republic of Korea.

DOI: 10.4236/eng.2012.410082                

Abstract

Recently, research strives to apply Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) to large-sized structures owing to its remarkable mechanical performance and durability compared to normal concrete. The Korea Institute of Construction Technology proposed SuperBridge800, an edge girder type UHPC cable stayed bridge with central span of 800 m, through its detailed design. The bridge is designed to be erected through the connection of precast UHPC segments. The precast UHPC segment is monolithically composed of one ribbed deck slab and edge girders at each side. The connection between the precast segments is achieved by steel bars at the edge girders and by UHPC cast-in-place wet joint at the slab. Despite of the outstanding mechanical performance of UHPC, the fabrication of large-sized members is a difficult task since UHPC hardens faster than normal concrete and requires a special curing process. Therefore, the constructability of large-sized UHPC segment should be secured to achieve SuperBridge800. Besides, the performance of the connection between segments should also be guaranteed, especially in terms of the fatigue performance of the UHPC cast-in-place joint, which constitutes a weak point. To that goal, two half-scaled UHPC segments are manufactured and the constructability is examined by fabricating a large-sized UHPC member connected with respect to the design conditions. This study conducts rolling fatigue test on the so-fabricated large-sized UHPC member. Rolling fatigue test is carried out up to 2 million cycles considering actual vehicle load at each center and quarter points of the member. The test results confirm that the service limit state is satisfied.

Keywords

UHPC; Cable Stayed Bridge; Rolling Fatigue Test; Large-Sized UHPC Member

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Korea Institute of Construction Technology, Development of Design and Construction system for hybrid cable stayed bridge, 2010.
[2]	Korea Institute of Construction Technology, Design Specific Technology for Ultra High Performance Concrete, 2010.
[3]	Korea Institute of Construction Technology, Development of Deck Systems for Hybrid Cable Stayed Bridge, 2010.
[4]	C.-H. Lee, W.-J. Chin, E.-S. Choi, and Y.-J. Kim, “An Experimental Study on the Joints in Ultra High Performance Precast Concrete Segmental Bridges, Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute, Vol. 23, No. 2., 2011. pp. 235-244.
[5]	J.-R. Cho, Y.J. Kim, J.S. Park, E.S. Choi, and B.-S. KIM, “Construction of Large-Sized UHPC Member for Cable Stayed Bridge”, Proceedings of the 5th International Concrete of Asian Concrete Federation (ACF2012), 2012, submitted for review.