1 00:00:00,221 --> 00:00:02,971 (dramatic music) 2 00:00:10,350 --> 00:00:11,940 - [Narrator] Ultra high performance concrete 3 00:00:11,940 --> 00:00:14,520 or UHPC presents the potential 4 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:16,803 of major improvements in bridge construction. 5 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:21,090 International experiences with UHPC have shown 6 00:00:21,090 --> 00:00:23,610 that a bridge's superstructure weight can be reduced 7 00:00:23,610 --> 00:00:25,927 by as much as 40%. 8 00:00:25,927 --> 00:00:28,800 These weight reductions could represent major design 9 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:30,240 and construction benefits, 10 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:32,790 especially for long span bridges. 11 00:00:32,790 --> 00:00:34,860 The Texas Department of Transportation 12 00:00:34,860 --> 00:00:37,680 and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute are looking 13 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:41,370 into ways UHPC can be used to develop new bridges 14 00:00:41,370 --> 00:00:42,870 in the state. 15 00:00:42,870 --> 00:00:44,910 - This research project was looking 16 00:00:44,910 --> 00:00:47,100 at ultra high performance concrete, 17 00:00:47,100 --> 00:00:50,520 otherwise known as UHPC, and looking 18 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,433 at ways that we can leverage this new material 19 00:00:53,433 --> 00:00:57,450 in terms of use, and our bridge structures. 20 00:00:57,450 --> 00:00:59,970 Specifically looking at girders 21 00:00:59,970 --> 00:01:01,710 and how we can optimize our girders 22 00:01:01,710 --> 00:01:04,140 within Texas infrastructure. 23 00:01:04,140 --> 00:01:07,650 - UHPC includes steel fibers that are very small, 24 00:01:07,650 --> 00:01:10,800 tiny fibers and there are many different types 25 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:11,850 of fibers out there. 26 00:01:11,850 --> 00:01:14,310 - So it was a mixture of working 27 00:01:14,310 --> 00:01:17,190 with our fabricators and then also working in the lab. 28 00:01:17,190 --> 00:01:18,900 And that's what Mary Beth and her team did 29 00:01:18,900 --> 00:01:21,540 is they actually tested the girders, full-scale testing. 30 00:01:21,540 --> 00:01:24,270 - We used the laboratory facilities 31 00:01:24,270 --> 00:01:26,550 at the Texas A&M University Center 32 00:01:26,550 --> 00:01:28,590 for Infrastructure Renewal. 33 00:01:28,590 --> 00:01:31,230 So we had the opportunity to use 34 00:01:31,230 --> 00:01:33,990 both the materials testing facilities, 35 00:01:33,990 --> 00:01:37,350 as well as the high bay structural testing facility. 36 00:01:37,350 --> 00:01:40,170 And then eventually, we adopted one of those mixtures 37 00:01:40,170 --> 00:01:43,500 for use at a precast plant where we scaled it up 38 00:01:43,500 --> 00:01:47,310 to production and went ahead and did a trial batch. 39 00:01:47,310 --> 00:01:49,110 And when that was found to work well, 40 00:01:49,110 --> 00:01:53,610 we were able to then begin casting bridge girder specimens 41 00:01:53,610 --> 00:01:54,870 that we are then able to test 42 00:01:54,870 --> 00:01:57,720 at full scale to determine the structural performance 43 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,570 of girders using UHPC. 44 00:02:00,570 --> 00:02:03,900 - We want to extend the life of these bridges 45 00:02:03,900 --> 00:02:07,531 and we also want to have projects 46 00:02:07,531 --> 00:02:09,660 that we can deliver quickly. 47 00:02:09,660 --> 00:02:10,493 So we're looking 48 00:02:10,493 --> 00:02:15,260 at a non-proprietary mix that is also cost effective. 49 00:02:16,230 --> 00:02:19,560 - If we look at the expected service life of components made 50 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,880 with this material, we're looking at over 150 years. 51 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:28,020 And so with that, the challenge is to bring the rest 52 00:02:28,020 --> 00:02:31,320 of the structure up to that same level of service life 53 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,860 and that would allow us to replace bridges less often. 54 00:02:34,860 --> 00:02:36,960 - Within Texas, we do have varying climates 55 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:38,580 and the environments. 56 00:02:38,580 --> 00:02:40,260 So like let's say in the Panhandle, 57 00:02:40,260 --> 00:02:44,940 and Amarillo, Lubbock, you have freeze thaw, 58 00:02:44,940 --> 00:02:49,140 you have salts that we apply on the roadways 59 00:02:49,140 --> 00:02:50,820 for the public to be able to travel 60 00:02:50,820 --> 00:02:52,980 when it's icy or snowy, 61 00:02:52,980 --> 00:02:55,643 so that actually causes corrosion 62 00:02:55,643 --> 00:02:58,650 that can reduce the lifespan of a bridge. 63 00:02:58,650 --> 00:03:01,560 So because UHPC's more dense, 64 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:06,120 utilizing fiber in the mix, it has less porosity, 65 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,820 then hopefully we can create more of a watertight seal. 66 00:03:08,820 --> 00:03:13,680 - We were able to test UHPC girders at full scale 67 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,860 and I think the study will definitely help to contribute 68 00:03:16,860 --> 00:03:19,320 to the understanding and the confidence 69 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,680 in using this material in bridge girders. 70 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:24,360 One of the things that we were able to do 71 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,840 is to actually test the girders with the cast-in-place deck 72 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:31,590 on top, which represents better what we find in the field. 73 00:03:31,590 --> 00:03:33,000 And so from that point of view, 74 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,880 we can provide a more realistic understanding 75 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:40,620 of the performance of these bridge girders in practice. 76 00:03:40,620 --> 00:03:41,790 - [Narrator] For more information 77 00:03:41,790 --> 00:03:43,050 and to find the publication 78 00:03:43,050 --> 00:03:46,530 for this project, please visit the TxDOT Research Library 79 00:03:46,530 --> 00:03:47,733 at the link shown below.