Flexural Strength and Fatigue of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (2004 Hale Boggs Deck)

Through its history, a variety of wearing surface systems for the orthotropic steel deck of the Luling Bridge (aka Hale Boggs Bridge) have been built and studied. The main problem with these systems was they did not last the expected service life (20+ years). In 1999, a short test section was installed using steel reinforced concrete, and even though the reinforcing steel was not optimally designed and exhibited cracks, it is still serviceable. Based on the performance of this test section installed in 1999, a new test section was installed in 2004. This new test section is a steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) deck. The composition of the deck system is ½ in. of bridge deck steel, a thin (approximately ⅛ in.) layer of epoxy with impregnated aggregate and 3½ in. of SFRC. This study focused on the evaluation of the steel fiber reinforced concrete that was used in the new test section on the Luling Bridge. Test specimens of the same material that was to be used in construction of the wearing surface test section were produced. The specimens were then subjected to various test procedures, including flexure strength and fatigue, flexural toughness, and chloride ion penetration among others. One unexpected consequence discovered upon initial testing was that the bending failure mechanism of the composite deck system was not in the SFRC, as projected, but in the epoxy layer. Furthermore, repeated load fatigue testing of the specimens was inconclusive, but did reinforce the failure mechanism shown in previous results. That being said, no inference to projected fatigue life can be made from the laboratory results to the field results.

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• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/16785
• Corporate Authors:

  Louisiana Transportation Research Center

  4101 Gourrier Avenue
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70808

  Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

  1201 Capitol Access Road, P.O. Box 94245
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70804-9245

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Eggers, John
  • Rupnow, Tyson D
• Publication Date: 2008-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: 37p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge decks; Epoxy coatings; Fatigue (Mechanics); Fatigue tests; Fiber reinforced concrete; Flexural strength; Laboratory tests; Repeated loads; Steel fibers; Test sections; Toughness
• Identifier Terms: Luling Bridge (Louisiana)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Chloride permeability; Wearing course (Bridges)
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Materials; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls; I32: Concrete;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01139459
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/LA/08-438, LTRC Project 05-5C, State Project 736-99-1298
• Files: NTL, TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Sep 3 2009 4:05PM