INSULATED FORMS FOR WINTER CONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGES

THE THESIS IS DEVELOPED THAT BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION IN THE NORTH TEMPERATE ZONE STATES OF THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN TRADITIONALLY SUBJECT TO THE DISADVANTAGE OF A SHORT CONSTRUCTION SEASON, DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS EXISTING DURING FIVE MONTHS OF THE YEAR. THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE TO THE SHORT CONSTRUCTION SEASON HAS BEEN THE EXPENSIVE ALTERNATE OF USING EXTERNAL HEAT AND HOUSINGS OVER THE MASS OF CONCRETE TO BE POURED. FURTHERMORE, RECENT IMPROVEMENT IN TYPES OF INSULATING MATERIALS HAS OPERATED TO REDUCE THE ADDITIONAL COST OF WINTER CONSTRUCTION WITH NO ADVERSE EFFECTS ON THE CONCRETE STRUCTURES PRODUCED AND WITH AN ATTENDANT ELIMINATION OF HAZARD BY FIRE. THE GREATLY EXPANDED HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM EMPHASIZING THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM, WITH A DISPROPORTIONATELY LARGE NUMBER OF STRUCTURES, CREATES SUCH A DEMAND ON THE EXISTING CONSTRUCTION PLANT THAT THE PROGRAM CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED IN A SHORT CONSTRUCTION SEASON AND THE AVAILABLE PLANT MUST BE ECONOMICALLY USED FOR A FULL TWELVE MONTHS IF INTERESTS OF THE STATES AND OF THE CONTRACTORS THEMSELVES ARE TO BE PROPERLY SERVED. THE ILLUSTRATIONS USED ARE FROM PROJECTS INITIATED IN SOUTH DAKOTA IN 1952 AND 1953 AND ARE INTENDED TO SHOW THAT PROPER USE OF MODERN INSULATION IN CONNECTION WITH FORMS OF BRIDGE STRUCTURES OFFERS A SOLUTION WHICH IS SUFFICIENTLY ECONOMICAL TO JUSTIFY YEAR-ROUND CONSTRUCTION. THE EXPERIENCE OF THIS STATE, SOUTH DAKOTA, INDICATES THAT LOW TEMPERATURES ALONE ARE NOT SUFFICIENT JUSTIFICATION TO SUSPEND CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS IN THE CASE OF THE MAJORITY OF CONCRETE STRUCTURES OF THE GIRDER OR SLAB TYPE AND IN THE CASE OF FOUNDATIONS FOR STRUCTURES OF ANY TYPE. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbbulletin/162/162-003.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 162, pp 13-19, 5 FIG, 1 TAB Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Scurr, K R
• Publication Date: 1957

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: 7p
• Monograph Title: Concrete pavement construction and winter construction of bridges
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Bulletin
  • Issue Number: 162
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cold weather construction; Concrete bridges; Concrete forms; Construction; Economics; Electric insulating materials; Foundations; Girders; Insulating materials; Road construction; Slabs
• Subject Areas: Construction; Economics; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00215122
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Apr 28 1994 12:00AM