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Objectives
Analyse the mixture of the material
Research mechanical characteristics of UHPFRC
Establish usage of the material
Weigh pros and cons for using this type of concrete
Investigate commercial factors, such as cost and availability
Analyse existing bridges for possible usage of UHPFRC,
comparing with previous use of traditional concrete
Investigate sustainability issues
Draw conclusions on the feasibility of using UHPFRC.
Around Sarasota
HISTORY
Ancient times
Human beings have always sought, throughout
their existence, different ways to build shelters which
Wikimedia Upload
could protect themselves from other animals and forces
of nature such as wind and rain.
Over the years, the construction methods have been
improved with the use of techniques and materials that
allowed the shelters to be transformed into true fortresses.
In the ancient history of China, the Chinese used cementitious materials to build
In 800 BC, the Greeks produced lime mortars which were much more resistant than the
mortar that would be later used by the Romans;
The Roman Empire was responsible for the construction of structures that exist today and that
Yellowstone
are still considered true works of art, such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Roman baths.
They used lime, sand and some natural additives such as animal fat, milk and blood.
Wikimedia Commons
Halyps Cement
Ultra High Performance Concrete
In the 60s, concretes with a load capacity of up to 800 MPa were
University of Kassel
Meanwhile, there existed a wider range of formulations, so the name Ultra High
Performance Concrete (UHPC) was established for any concrete with minimal
compression capacity of 150 MPa. The first commercial applications began in the
80s in Denmark, especially in constructions involving high-level security such as
vaults, strong rooms and protective defense construction.
Superplasticizer
Superplasticizers, also known as high range water reducers, are chemical admixtures
used where well-dispersed particle suspension is required. These polymers are used
as dispersants to avoid particle segregation (gravel, coarse and fine sands), and to
improve the flow characteristics of concrete. Their addition to concrete or mortar
allows the reduction of the water to cement ratio, not affecting the workability of the
mixture, and enables the production of self-consolidating concrete and high
performance concrete.
Aquaproof Website
Steel fibres
Steel fibres mixed into the concrete can provide an alternative to the provision of conventional steel bars or welded
fabric in some applications. The concept has been in existence for many years (the first patent was applied for in
1874). Fibres are usually used to control cracking due to plastic shrinkage and to drying shrinkage.
Steel fibres can:
Improve structural strength
Reduce steel reinforcement requirements
Improve ductility
Reduce crack widths and control the crack widths tightly,
thus improving durability
Improve impact and abrasionresistance
Improve freeze-thaw resistance
Coal Age Website
FP McCann Website
Ready Mix Online
Typical
Composition
D&D Pr-Moldados
Mixing Procedure
Several researchers recommend to mix all fine dry particles first before adding water and high-range water
reducer (HRWR). It is because small particles tend to agglomerate and it is easier to break these chunks when
the particles are dry. The specific mixing procedure was as follows:
In the first step both types of aggregate and silica fume were mixed for 5 min;
In the second step cement and glass powder were mixed for another 5 min;
At the end of the procedure water and HRWR were added. The addition of HRWR was gradual;
The mixture became fully workable after another 5 min.
Curing the concrete is essential for protect it from loss of water, what can affect its durability and
compressive strength. For UHPC, this is particularly important due to the small amount of water in its
composition. To prevent it from dehydration, the concrete needs to be protected with an impermeable
coat right after casting. In order to speed up the setting process, UHPC should pass through a heat
treatment, which usually is submitting the concrete to a 48 hours moist curing at 90C.
Wikihow Website
Shrinkage
A high amount of cement in a concrete usually can be a
synonymous for a large rate of shrinkage, however this problem
can be solved for UHPC with a heat treatment. One great
advantage of using this type of concrete is that the shrinkage
process will take place during the heat treatment. This means
that prefabricated parts will not shrink any further once it is
finished.
Durability
Another consequence of the heat treatment is improving the
creep of the material, which is essential for its durability. UHPC
has less than half of the creep coefficient for traditional
concrete. Besides that, this type of concrete does not need
steel rebar, and the lack of corroded material improves the
durability of the structure.
Clayton Tang
PROS CONS
Self placing and have excellent fluidity;
x Limited research was developed on
Very high compressive strength as well as strengthening of structures;
high strength and tenacity in flexure;
The volume of needed concrete can be x High material cost mainly because of the
significantly reduced;
large amount of cement used;
Significant dead load reductions and
comparative with steel structures due to the x High energy consumption and CO2 emission;
very high strength;
Excellent material ductility giving improved x Strict control of the mixing procedure is
overload behaviour;
essential and especially mixing times must be
Improved durability and longer service life strictly adhered to;
with reduced maintenance;
Blast resistance;
x There is a need for further research and
High flexural strength reducing the need for development to close existing gaps of
reinforcing steel and expanding the range of knowledge and to come to a widespread
structural shapes and forms;
regular application based on
Improves blast resistance of cladding panels comprehensive technical regulations.
and walls while maintaining its standard
thicknesses and appearance.
Availability
DUCTAL
Reactive powder concrete (RPC), a type of UHPFRC, is a material that
consists mainly of cement. Ductal, which was developed by Bouygues,
Lafarge and Rhodia, is a set of different types of RPC that have organic
fibres in its composition.
Lafarge Website
DUCORIT
Ducorit is another type of Ultra High Performance Concrete. It was
developed by Densit, a company whose head office is located in Denmark.
Densit provides different types of Ducorit, Ducorit S1, Ducorit S2,
Ducorit S5 and Ducorit D4, that have different properties due to
aggregates addition, such as quartz sand or bauxite.
Lafarge Website
Taktl Website
TAKTL DURA
Taktl is a company based in Western Pennsylvania Dura is the patented name for a Malaysian
that sells a type of UHPC. Taktl is not only the name of mixture of UHPC, or UHPdC, Ultra-High
the company, but also the name of their concrete.
Performance ductile Concrete.
Focusing in architectural applications, Taktl also T h e c o m p a n y, D u r a Te c h n o l o g y, w a s
developed the VECTR Panels, with custom textures, established in 2006 and its head office is
patterns, perforations, shapes, and profiles. The panels located in Chemor, Malaysia.
contain Taktl and two different glass fibres in its
composition.
Sustainability issues
Boma.org
A UHPFRC contains about twice the cement volume as It also offers a significant gain in terms of durability,
conventional concrete, and thus produces twice as lightness and global economy of material. It is
much CO2 and consumes twice as much energy in therefore important to incorporate an anticipation of
production. Yet experience using UHPFRC shows that if sustainability earning enabled by UHPFRC solutions;
used appropriately, the quantities of material used in a this is particularly relevant when searching for long-
structure can be divided by two or three. A UHPFRC life or evolutive structures and when taking into
structure therefore provides a slight gain in terms of account economic cost, image, operating constrains
initial CO2 footprint and energy compared to a and the environmental costs of all operations of
conventional solution.
maintenance required by traditional solutions.
APPLICATIONS
VSL website
Sherbrooke Bridge
The Sherbrooke Footbridge, built in 1997, is the first bridge to use VSL website
Lafarge website
Peace Footbridge
Lafarge website
bridge would have. The project required one day for casting and
one day to bond the concrete slab in place.
Lafarge website
Horikoshi Highway Bridge
The first use of UHPC in Japan was in the Horikoshi Highway
C-Ramp bridge. It is composed of four pretensioned UHPC
I-shaped girders and a regular concrete deck. The number of
girders would be 11 if conventional concrete was used in this
Okuma, 2006, p. 6
part of the process, and they would weight more individually. The
overall weight of the bridge was reduced by 30 percent.
Okuma, 2006, p. 9
Haneda Airport
The Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, is working in a project that
started in 2010 and will build a new runway over the sea. The pier
is made of two structures: steel pillars and their coatings, going
underwater to a depth of 70 meters, and a UHPC slab secured in
steel girders. The material was chosen due to its resistance, high Lafarge Website
Papatoetoe Footbridge
The Papatoetoe is the first of a series of footbridges that were
constructed to allow pedestrian movement over the railway tracks
in Auckland, New Zealand. It is 175 m long and consist of ten
spans, most of them measuring 20 m, and they are formed with
Lafarge Website
two precast UHPC sections, that weight a lot less than if made
with traditional concrete. The UHPC beams were precast in a ten
week period and post-tensioned on site.
Lafarge Website
Lafarge Website
Lafarge Website
Marc Mimram Website
New York
In New York, a city with one of the largest populations in the world, the idea is to create a bridge that, besides
connecting two oposites banks, can offer residential potential. The use of UHPC is essential to create a high
strength structure with different architectural aspects.
La Courneuve
The park located in the region of La Courneuve, in France, seems to be excluded from the city due to a busy roadway.
This scenario can be easily remedied with the construction of a footbridge above the avenue, to get around the traffic,
connecting the city to the park. The project of a bridge that looks like a strip can be easily carried out using UHPC, which
increases the structural and plastic capacities of conventional concrete.
A superior material
Ductal Website
Ductal Website
Alternative uses
The architectural issues in Ultra High
Performance Concrete opens a range of
innovative opportunities concerning the
shape and volume of structures. Applications
vary, including lamps, chairs, balconies,
stairs, bus stops and awnings.
Alternative uses
Ductal Website
Ductal Website
Ductal Website
Alternative uses
Ductal Website
Ductal Website
Ductal Website
Colour and texture
With chameleon-like quality, UHPC is able to replicate colours
and textures, the final product can provide new freedoms in
Architecture Aesthetics. This is possible thanks to the addition
of pigments to the mixture. Moreover, finished surfaces may be
further protected from fading, blotching and graffiti, with the
use of clear-coat sealant.
Ductal Website
Taktl Website
CASE STUDY
Arquivo
Arquivo
Arquivo
Dimensions
Loads
Structure weight
The specific weight for simple concrete should be
assumed to a minimum value of 24 kN/m and 25 kN/m
Construction Loads
for reinforced or prestressed concrete.
Throughout the design and the structural calculations, the
loads that may be imposed during the construction period
should be considered, especially those due to equipment
weight and auxiliary structures of assembling and launching
Paving structural elements weight and their effects at each stage
of work.
The minimum value of 24 kN/m must be adopted for
specific weight of the material employed, with an
additional load of 2 kN/m, considering a possible
resurfacing.
Temperature variations
The temperature variations should be considered as
stated in section 11 of the Brazilian code NBR 6118: 2003.
Considering that the bridge would be built in Curitiba,
the average thermal variation used was 15C.
Traffic Loads
Representative loads system of characteristic values of loads from the traffic that the structure is subjected in service. The
critical position of the load is achieved by using influence lines.
Impact Loads
The pillars that are subjected to road vehicles or vessels impacts must have their security verified due to possible shocks.
GSA Analysis
The first programme used to analyse the bridge was the GSA Analysis, Oasys Limited Company, which calculates the
elastic behaviour of structures. The software is able to provide deformation graphics, axial force, shear forces and bending
moments, from inputs that the user provides. Among these inputs, it is important to emphasize internal and external
forces, section of the structure, material properties and general dimensions of the structure. Below are some images of the
structure in the programme before and after applying the loads, with the resulting deformations.
The Structure
The output data of the programme are displayed in tables, as Positive axial forces are tensile forces.
shown above. The beams and colums are enumerated relating Forces and moments are considered toward the
directly to the previous image. The strength of an element at axis of the element, i.e.:
any point is the force required to maintain the balance if the Fx: Axial Force;
element was isolated at this point, not considering the other Fy and Fz: Shear Forces;
end of the element. Therefore, it is important to note that:
Mxx: Torsion;
Myy and Mzz: Bending Moments.
The Structure
Axis ZX Axis ZY
DIAGRAMS
Axis ZX Axis ZX
4500 mm
1500 mm
From the section of an element, the material used in it and details of the frame of the structure, the program creates the
axial load and bending moment interaction chart, where you can test if the given element supports its load conditions.
Observing the output data of GSA Analysis, the point used should be that in which the axial force and bending moment
have their maximum values. If the point is located within the region bounded by the red line, then the structure supports
the forces applied on it.
Loads of Reinforced Concrete Structures
Esacademic
Final test of Reinforced Concrete Bridge
Finally, the output data of the elements of the bridge made
with reinforced concrete, added to the exceptional load
calculated previously, are:
These data, when analysed in Adsec, result in the
graph beside. As shown, the point related to the
Maximum Axial force: -5400 kN;
maximum forces to which the columns are
Maximum Shear Forces: -8200 kN;
Maximum Bending moment: 32200 kNm
subjected is acceptable within the delimited
region, showing that the structure is working as
expected.
An important detail to be highlighted is the fact
that the point on the graph is very close to the
bounding line. This means that the sizing of the
structure is accurate and the construction will not
require more material than necessary.
Loads of Ultra High Performance
Concrete Structures
Test
Using P=64800 kN and considering each strand
= (P/A) (M/Z)
resisting 300 kN, temos:
= [(P+4945)/1.92] (35500/0.97)
64800/300 = 216 strands
Minimum value > 0
Will be 4 different positions for the cables, so:
{[(P+4945)/1.92] (35500/0.97)} > 0
216/4 = 54 strands each side
P > 65000 kN
We chose use 2 cables 27c15 instead one with 54
Maximum value < 0.6180MPa=108 MPa
cables.
=108000 kN/m2
Area of cables = 27150=4050 mm2
{[(P+4945)/1.92] + (35500/0.97)} < 108000
Total diameter = [(area 4)/]0.5 = 71 mm
P < 132000 kN
Final Test Of Ultra High Performance
Concrete Bridge
ULS Analysis
Introduction
Throughout this project, research was made about Ultra High Performance Concrete. History, mechanical
characteristics, examples of previous use, alternative uses, future projections and case study were some of the points
discussed. Therefore, it is suitable for the data exposed to be discussed and evaluated.
Cost DCAA Website
Since the UHPFRC is precast, the construction of the bridge made with this material is much faster than with reinforced
concrete. This is of extreme importance on the construction site of the structure in question, where it is necessary to
interdict part of a road to start the work. The obstruction of a lane generates economic loss, inconvenience to the drivers
and requires alternative routes. Thus, it is essential for the construction to be done in the shortest time possible.
Iitalian Construction Website
Quality Control
be eliminated.
It is still possible to note that the precast UHPFRC contributes
Safety not only to the safety of workers, but also for the work in
general. Once the precast elements are bought and
transported by another company, fewer workers will be
needed within the construction site. These workers will be
responsible primarily for assembling the structure with
appropriate machinery. Besides decreasing the running time
of the work, this increases significantly the risk assessment
within the construction site.
Sindtran Website
Sustainability
Based on data previously exposed about the composition of Normal Concrete and Ultra High Performance concrete, it is
possible to calculate the amount of cement required for the construction of each one of the viaduct columns from the
study case analysed.
It is possible to observe that, despite the higher percentage of cement in the UHPC composition, the normal concrete
spends more cement on each column. This is due to the fact that the sections are hollow and solid, respectively.
Therefore, UHPC is a relatively sustainable material, since it makes use of less cementitious material in total, which
consumes a lot of energy in its production and emits various pollutants in the atmosphere.
Colegio Web Website
Sustainability
Being a public infrastructure that will be highly used for several years, the viaduct must necessarily be a durable construction. As
already mentioned earlier, the Ultra high performance concrete is more durable, have a longer service life and requires less
maintenance. This is due to the fact that UHPFRC does not uses reinforcement liable to corrosion and its high density make the
water absorption difficult.
Final Considerations
One pro of using Ultra High Performance concrete mentioned earlier, is the fact that it has a higher impact resistance due
to the presence of tiny fibres. This increases the ductility of the material. In the analysis of the UHPFRC bridge, it has not
been possible to measure this advantage numerically, so a conservative position regarding Impact Loads of vehicles that
may collide with the columns of the structure was considered.
There is still a lot of reluctance in the industry to adopt this new material, even in developed countries. One of the reasons
for that is the fact that there are not many codes and standards available for the Ultra High Performance Concrete. In
addition, the designers are not yet familiar with the material, which would mean hiring a specialist for the development of a
project.
Therefore, it is essential for more research to be done and for standards and codes to
be created and updated so that the UHPFRC is used effectively. Finally, it is
important to note that it takes some time for the industry to trust and
adopt a new material. The Ultra High Performance Concrete is a
very promising type of concrete that can be used in various
architectural and structural applications, which makes
it one of the biggest bets in the civil
construction industry for
years to come.
Taktl Website
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