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References: Bridges UHPFRC

Overlay on a Footbridge in Germany with UPFRC

Leakage were detected in the waterproofing layer of this foot and bicycle bridge within Germany. To ensure long term durability, a fiber-reinforced UHPC overlay of 30 mm thickness was applied. The overlay has only a sealing function, the additional possible load-bearing capacity was not taken into account in the structural considerations. Compared to bitumen or epoxy, the designers expect a significantly longer service life. Because of the risk for flats in bicycle tires, polymer fibers were used instead of spiky steel fibers. 6.5 m³ of UHPC were installed within one day, during which it also drizzled sometimes. A video of the building site can be found in the video section or in our YouTube channel.

Walserbridge in Oberstdorf, Germany

At the Walser-Bridge in Oberstdorf/Germany, a highly resistant protective layer was placed on the outside of the bridge beams as protection against floodwater with crashes of tree trunks. The bridge is located in the alps, so the fiber reinforced UHPFRC must have a high resitance against frost and deicing salt. The design was performed by Dr. Schütz Engineers. The execution of the three-dimensional elements was done by R. Bayer Concrete Plant in Blaubeuren/Germany.

Highway Bridge in Austria with UHPFRC

This is an example of upgrading of an existing highway bridge in Austria by use of NANODUR® concrete. The single-span beams were connected to the abutments by a reinforced UHPFRC tension band to create a frame and thus increase the ultimate load. The concrete is driven directly by vehicles, without any additional asphalt layer above. Due to economical reasons, the ready mixed UHPC concrete was delivered with a truck mixer. The scientific monitoring was carried out by the Institute of Structural Concrete, Graz University of Technology, Prof. Nguyen Viet Tue. More information see article in “Beton- und Stahlbetonbau”, 2/2015.

Bridge Restoration with Overlay XPOSAL

In Swiss and in the Netherlands, it is common practice to restore bridges with a 5cm to 8cm thick top layer of reinforced high strength concrete with additional steel fibers. This overlay is applicable for orthotropic steel decks as well as concrete decks. Dyckerhoff Basal in the Netherlands developed a special UHPC concrete with the name XPOSAL 105, which

  • can be mixed in a ready mix plant,

  • has only ingredients according to existings codes

  • and can be placed on grade with a road paving machine.

The old Waal Bridge (Ewijk Bridge), built in 1976, was renovated this way. The stresses are reduced by up to 80% in the supporting slab compared to an asphalt cover layer and thereby the service live of the bridge is increased significantly.

Floor Slab Elevated Railway, Wuppertal, Germany

The load bearing floor slabs at the stop ‘main station’ of the 100-year-old suspension railroad in Wuppertal is being upgraded with a steel fiber-reinforced UHPFRC based on Nanodur Compound. Due to the good tensile strength of the material, the bond length to the unribbed reinforcing steel with low strength could be significantly reduced, thus minimizing the caulking work and material removal in the building under heritage protection. The work was supervised by Prof Mark from the Consulting Engineers Grassl.

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