Design, Installation, and Condition Assessment of a Concrete Bridge Deck Constructed With ASTM A1035 CS No. 4 Bars

About the report:

Recently developed corrosion-resistant reinforcing structural design guidelines were used to design, construct, and assess a reinforced concrete bridge deck with high-strength ASTM A1035 CS steel bars. The bridge replacement is located along the North Scenic Highway over the Wolf Creek in Bland County, Virginia. The bridge deck design used the higher yield stress available from ASTM A1035 CS steel to replace No. 5 bars with No. 4 bars that saved 23% by weight of steel in the deck and reduced reinforcement bar congestion, especially near the traffic barrier-bridge deck splice. The material cost savings was also 23% compared to a standard Virginia Department of Transportation bridge deck since the bars were bid as a cost per unit weight.

The Wolf Creek Bridge deck surface (i.e., cracks, slope, and surface profile) was documented using an automated computer vision system assembled with off-the-shelf cameras that accurately surveyed the bridge deck in less than 10 minutes, providing a high-resolution 3D digital state model before and after the bridge was opened to traffic. The bridge deck is in excellent condition after 2 months in service, with only one crack of 0.004 in observed near a construction joint.

The study concluded that concrete bridge decks can be designed with No. 4 bars and constructed considering the structural benefits of gradually yielding, high-strength ASTM A1035 CS reinforcement bars with satisfactory in-service performance and some cost savings.

Authors