Comparative structural behavior of bridge deck panels with polymer concrete and UHPC transverse field joints

摘要

Precast bridge deck panels are widely used to accelerate bridge deck erection and provide cost savings, better durability, and solving many constructability challenges. Full-depth deck joints with diamond shear key type and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) are the most recent commonly used field joints in bridge decks. UHPC has superior mechanical properties and leads to simplified details and joints. However, UHPC might have some constructability and finishing as well as cost and bidding challenges. Thus, exploring the viability of alternative materials for field joints could be beneficial. Poly Methyl Methacrylate Polymer concrete (PMMA-PC) is another popular construction material with superior mechanical properties that have been used for overlays and can provide a potential alternative to UHPC for deck joints. The objective of this study is to investigate and compare the structural performance of using PMMA-PC and UHPC for full-depth precast deck panel transverse field joints. An experimental program was conducted to test three full-scale specimens under vertical loading at the University of Nevada, Reno. Two specimens were identical except for the material used in the joint, i.e. UHPC versus PMMA-PC, while the third specimen used a new proposed joint detail with PMMA-PC. The structural response was evaluated for connection performance under the AASHTO service and ultimate loads, peak strength, damage progression and mode of failure, and local steel reinforcement strains. The results demonstrated that PMMA-PC, and the proposed joint detail, can be successfully used for bridge deck field joints with comparable performance to UHPC field joints.