Bridge Decks: Mitigation of Cracking and Increased Durability—Materials Solution (Phase III)

Deb, Robin; Mondal, Paramita; Ardeshirilajimi, Ardavan

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/109080 Copy

Description

Title

Bridge Decks: Mitigation of Cracking and Increased Durability—Materials Solution (Phase III)

Author(s)

• Deb, Robin
• Mondal, Paramita
• Ardeshirilajimi, Ardavan

Issue Date

2020-12

Keyword(s)

• Shrinkage
• Bridge Deck
• Cracking
• Type K
• Presoaked Lightweight Aggregates
• Durability

Abstract

Type K cement offers a lower slump than conventional concrete, even at a higher water-to-cement ratio. Therefore, a suitable chemical admixture should be added to the Type K concrete mix design at a feasible dosage to achieve and retain target slump. In this project, a compatibility study was performed for Type K concrete with commercially available water-reducing and air-entraining admixtures. Slump and air content losses were measured over a period of 60 minutes after mixing and a particular mid-range water-reducing admixture was found to retain slump effectively. Furthermore, no significant difference in admixture interaction between conventional and Type K concrete was observed. Another concern regarding the use of Type K concrete is that its higher water-to-cement ratio can potentially lead to higher permeability and durability issues. This study also explored the effectiveness of presoaked lightweight aggregates in providing extra water for Type K hydration without increasing the water-to-cement ratio. Permeability of concrete was measured to validate that the use of presoaked lightweight aggregates can lower water adsorption in Type K concrete, enhancing its durability. Extensive data analysis was performed to link the small-scale material test results with a structural test performed at Saint Louis University. A consistent relation was established in most cases, validating the effectiveness of both testing methods in understanding the performance of proposed shrinkage-mitigation strategies. Stress analysis was performed to rank the mitigation strategies. Type K incorporation is reported to be the most effective method for shrinkage-related crack mitigation among the mixes tested in this study. The second-best choice is the use of Type K in combination with either presoaked lightweight aggregates or shrinkage-reducing admixtures. All mitigation strategies tested in this work were proved to be significantly better than using no mitigation strategy.

Publisher

Illinois Center for Transportation/Illinois Department of Transportation

Series/Report Name or Number

FHWA-ICT-20-016

ISSN

0197-9191

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/109080

DOI

https://doi.org/10.36501/0197-9191/20-023

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

IDOT-ICT-178-1

Copyright and License Information

No restrictions. This document is available through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161.

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