Rehabilitation of Corroded Steel Bridge Girder Ends using Partial-Height Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Encasement

Abstract

Beam end corrosion is one of the most prominent types of deterioration on simple-span steel bridges. To address this concern, the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the University of Connecticut have jointly developed a repair method for corroded steel girder ends using ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) encasement. In this repair, shear studs are welded to the undamaged portion of the web and encased in UHPC to create an alternate load path for bearing and shear forces. This novel repair method has been implemented in multiple states. The widespread promotion of steel girder end repair with UHPC demonstrates the need for literature on field implementations and alternative designs. This paper advances the findings from a field implementation completed in Connecticut in October 2021, which was the first instance of a partial-height repair in the country, the first application of the repair to a weathering steel bridge, and the first use of flange studs to restore shear capacity at the junction of the web and bottom flange. Two of the girder ends were fully instrumented to collect data on the performance of the repaired locations. The paper presents an overview of the bridge, discusses the design and implementation of the repair, provides short-term monitoring data showing its successful activation, and discusses lessons learned throughout the process. It is anticipated that the findings put forward provide support for the use of UHPC encasement as a promising method for the repair of corroded steel girder ends.