4/7/2017 ImprovingDurabilityofBridgeDecksusingHighPerformanceConcrete

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Issue79
Sept/Oct2015

VDOT'sUseofConcrete
ClosurePoursto
EliminateBridgeDeck
ExpansionJoints

ImprovingDurabilityof
BridgeDecksusingHigh
PerformanceConcrete
Fig.1.TypicalBridgeDeckExpansionJoint.
SelectingaBridgeJoint
System

VDOTsUseofConcreteClosurePourstoEliminate
QuickSignUp BridgeDeckExpansionJoints
Subscribetofutureissues
ofFreeEConcreteBridge AdamMatteo,VirginiaDepartmentofTransportation
Views.
Emailaddress:
General

Expansionjointsinbridgedeckshavelongbeenrecognizedastheoneoftheleadingfactorsin
bridgedeterioration.Expansionjoints,placedattheendsofbridgedeckstoallowforthermal
ConcreteBridgeViewsis expansionandcontractionandliveloaddeflection,inevitablyleak,allowingwatertoseepbelowthe
publishedjointlybythe
FederalHighway bridgedeck.Thewateroftencarrieschlorideladenroadsalts,whichrapidlyacceleratethecorrosion
Administrationandthe rateofsuperstructureandsubstructureelements.AtypicalexpansionjointisshowninFigure1.
NationalConcreteBridge
Figures2and3showareasunderleakingjointsthatexhibitacceleratedcorrosionduetothe
Council.
intrusionofwater,salt,gritandoil.
Reproductionand
distributionofthis
newsletterisencouraged
providedthatFHWAand
NCBCareacknowledged.

Youropinionsand
contributionsare
welcome.
PleasecontacttheEditor:
AlpaSwinger
847.972.9110
847.972.9111fax
EmailA.Swinger

EditorialCommittee
AlpaSwinger,Editor
ReggieHolt,FHWA

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4/7/2017 ImprovingDurabilityofBridgeDecksusingHighPerformanceConcrete
SusanLane,FHWA
MarkGaines,WSDOT
WilliamR.RandyCox,
ASBI
KevinPruski,TxDOT
CelikOzyildirim,VDOT
Fig.2and3.Corrosion,DeteriorationandSedimentBuildupUnderLeakingJoints
Thismaterialisbased
uponworksupportedby
theFederalHighway DifficultyinMaintainingExpansionJoints
Administrationunder
CooperativeAgreement Ideallyabridgeownershouldbeabletomaintainjointsinasatisfactoryconditiontoprohibitthe
No."DTFH6112H
00008". inflowofwaterthroughtheseal.However,thedurabilityofcommonlyusedsealshasproventobe
highlyproblematic.Inhightrafficenvironmentssealsmaylastlessthan1year,andthecostoftraffic
Anyopinions,findings,
controltoresealjointscontinuestoincrease.Figure1showsthreecommonproblemsaffectingthe
andconclusionsor
recommendations durabilityofjointseals:
expressedinthis
publicationarethoseof 1.Localizedfailureoftheconcreteadjacenttothejoint
theAuthor(s)anddonot
necessarilyreflectthe 2.Accumulationofgritanddebrisabovethejointseal,causingfailureoftheseal
viewoftheFederal 3.Debondingofthesealfromtheadjacentconcrete
HighwayAdministration.
VDOTcollectsdataontheperformanceofitsbridgejointsduringeachregularbridgeinspection.
VDOThasapproximately1millionlinearfeetofexpansionjointsinitinventory,900,000linearfeetof
whicharepourablesealsorcompressionseals.Ofthesejoints,thefollowingpercentagesarein
ConditionState1(noleakage).

PourableSeals:68%
CompressionSeals:61%

Takentogether,only2/3ofthetotallengthofpourableandcompressionsealsarefunctional.
However,becauseofthewaythatjointconditionismeasured,theproblemisactuallymoresevere.If
aparticularjointis50longandhas2ofunsatisfactoryseal,thejointisreportedashaving48in
ConditionState1and2inConditionState2or3(deterioratedorfailed).However,that2of
compromisedjointsealisenoughtoallowtheflowofchlorideladenwaterbelowthedecksurface.An
analogymaybemadetotheguttersonahome.Ifahousehas50ofraingutter,48ofwhichis
functionaland2ofwhichisnot,theentiregutterisnonfunctional.

AddressingtheProblem

Intheearly1990sVDOTacknowledgedthedifficultyofmaintainingexpansionjointsandbeganto
experimentwiththeconceptofeliminatingthejointsentirely.VDOTbegantoplaceclosurepoursin
thelocationsofexistingjoints,essentiallyeliminatingthejointentirely.Theseclosurepourswere
initiallyplacedoverpiersupportsandcalledlinkslabs.Later,VDOTbegantoinstallclosurepours
calleddeckextensionsattheendsofbridgesovertheabutments.Sincethattimewehave
successfullyeliminatedover700jointsonmorethan300bridges.Figures4and5providetypical
engineeringdetailsforlinkslabsanddeckextensions.Figures610showphotographsofthejoint
eliminationprocess.

Theperformanceofthelinkslabshasbeenexcellent.Whilesmallcracksoftenappearattheinterface
betweentheclosurepourandtheexistingdeck,thesecracksdontallowsignificantmoisturetoreach

thebearings.Linkslabshavebeenusedonhighlyskewedandheavilytravelled(interstate)bridges
withgoodresults.

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4/7/2017 ImprovingDurabilityofBridgeDecksusingHighPerformanceConcrete

Fig.4.Detailfor"LinkSlab"EliminatingJointoverPier

Fig.5.Detailfor"DeckExtension"EliminatingJointatAbutment

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4/7/2017 ImprovingDurabilityofBridgeDecksusingHighPerformanceConcrete

Fig.6.Step1JackingBeamEndstoFreeBearings

Fig.7and8.RemoveConcreteinDeckfor2'onEitherSideofJointFormBetweenGirders
PlaceBondbreaker(foam)overGirdersPlaceReinforcementCastConcrete

Fig.9and10.JointsEliminatedOverPierandatAbutment

ConsiderationsAffectingDecisiontoEliminateJoints

VDOThasestablishedthatjointeliminationisthemostcosteffectivemaintenanceoptionwhen
viewedfromtheperspectiveoflifecycleinvestment.Typicalcoststoeliminatejointsareabout$700
perlinearfoot,whichisaninvestmentthatpaysstrongdividendsintheoveralldurabilityofbridges.
VDOTscurrentguidancerequiresthatjointeliminationbeevaluatedastheprimaryjointtreatmenton
allrehabilitationprojects.EachofVDOTs9districtshasatargettoeliminate1%ofitsjointsperyear.
Whileourstandard4,000psilowpermeabilityconcretehasprovidedgoodresults,VDOThasalso
beguntodeployflexibleconcretemixesutilizingfiberreinforcement.

Thetwogreatestimpedimentstojointeliminationaretrafficcontrolandapprehensionaboutthe
effectsonthepiers.Inhightrafficenvironmentsitisdifficulttoobtainapprovalforlaneclosuresof
adequatedurationforjointeliminations.Inordertoaddressthisconcern,VDOTisdevelopinggeneric
detailsfortemporarydrivingsurfacesthatwillspantheopeningrequiredforjointelimination.Thiswill
allowcontractorstoperformtheworkovermultipleshifts.
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4/7/2017 ImprovingDurabilityofBridgeDecksusingHighPerformanceConcrete
allowcontractorstoperformtheworkovermultipleshifts.

Toaddressconcernaboutpierloadswearedevelopingstandardcalculationtemplatestoallowfor
quickanalysisofpierloadsafterjointelimination.Becausejointeliminationchangesthearticulation
ofabridge,certainpierswillreceiveadditionallateralloadsafterprojectcompletion.Theselateral
loadsarerarelyenoughofaconcerntoprecludetheeliminationofajoint,butexamplecalculations
currentlyunderdevelopmentwillprovideanadditionallevelofsecurityfordesignersinthefuture.

Formoreinformation,pleasecontactAdamMatteoatAdam.Matteo@vdot.virginia.gov

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