Novel UHPC-CFRP Waffle Deck Panel System for Accelerated Bridge Construction

Abstract

A novel deck system is developed as an ultralightweight low profile waffle slab of ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) reinforced with carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) bars. The proposed system lends itself to accelerated bridge construction, and has great potential for deck replacement in bridges with load restrictions, and as well for bridge widening. A total of seven specimens at two different overall depths, with single or multiple ribs and in simple or two-span configuration, were tested in two consecutive phases in this study. The results were compared to similar deck panels with high-strength steel (HSS) reinforcement from previous studies. The study confirmed that the proposed deck panel with only 102 mm overall depth and a self-weight of 0.9 kN/m2 meets the demand for a 1,219-mm stringer spacing. The flexural behavior and failure modes of the deck are in general similar to the UHPC-HSS deck. The deck is not susceptible to punching shear of its thin slab and fails in a ductile manner. Load distribution among the ribs, whether calculated based on deflections or strains, is about 33% for the center rib, and 22 and 11% for the next two ribs.