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- [Narrator] Preservation of bridges
has been a major topic in Texas and around the nation.
The Texas Department of Transportation
and the Center for Transportation Research
investigated ways to extend the life of bridge decks,
commonly known as the surface of a bridge,
all while keeping the same safety standards
for the driving public.
- A bridge deck performance
is the number one costly item in terms of maintenance,
so therefore, anything we can do
to improve the durability of concrete decks,
reduce the construction of concrete decks,
is something that is going to be a long-term benefit
for the State of Texas, for the country,
and certainly the taxpayers
funding this research as well as many others.
- All of our decks are reinforced
with reinforcing steel or fiber reinforced bars.
And this project was essentially
hoping to remove some of those reinforcing bars
and replace them with steel fibers.
Steel fibers have been used in other locations
to essentially replace reinforcing steel,
but we hadn't done that on a TxDOT project before.
- This research was conducted
at Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory.
We had a number of tests that we performed.
So these are bridge deck strips
that are in their actual dimensions
in an effort to eliminate the adverse effects of scaling,
as well as a large test in which we had a multi-girder
superstructure supporting the bridge deck,
different applications of AASHTO loading configurations
where the truckloads are applied,
challenging the bridge deck under different circumstances.
- We're happy with the results of the research.
We're pursuing a pilot here in the Austin District,
a pilot to see what field conditions are
and how fibers being placed on a bridge deck
would perform with Texas contractors on a TxDOT project.
- It is not intended to basically stop the use
of current bridge deck details,
it is intended to put one more tool in the toolbox
to when there is a need
for a better bridge deck performance,
this may be up in the panhandle where we use de-icing salts
or cases in which we have marine environment at play.
In those cases, having that tool in the toolbox
will give bridge designers
the much needed sort of array of tools
that they can use in the bridge decks.
- A bridge deck is like the roof on a house,
where it provides the primary protection,
the first mode for protection against chlorides,
against contaminants, and against deterioration.
It's important to try to preserve the bridge deck.
So trying to find a way to reduce that mode of deterioration
within a bridged deck was important to us.
- TxDOT research program
has proven to be a great benefit to the state
and really and truly the bridge industry in the country
and around the world.
The research program that is always looking into ways
of improving practices,
improving structural performance, reducing costs,
all of those items come as a huge benefit to the state.
So, I particularly feel lucky
to be involved in TxDOT's research program
and contributing to new findings, one piece at a time.
- [Narrator] For more information
and to find the publication for this project,
please visit the TxDOT Research Library
at the link shown below.