Uncontrolled concrete bridge parapet cracking.

Details

• Creators:
  Bazzo, Jeffrey ; Delatte, Norbert ; Kalabon, Amy
• Corporate Creators:
  Cleveland State University. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Concrete bridges
  • Parapets
  • Bridge decks
  • Durability
  • Nondestructive tests
  • Cracking
  • Joints (Engineering)
  • Admixtures
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/OH-2012/15
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Ohio
• Corporate Publisher:
  Ohio. Dept. of Transportation. Office of Research and Development
• Abstract:
  The Ohio Department of Transportation has recently identified the problem of wide-spread premature cracking of concrete bridge ; parapets throughout its District 12 region (Northeast Ohio). Many of the bridge decks that contain these prematurely cracked ; parapets are of relatively recent construction. In severe cases, replacement of the parapet may be required before replacement of ; the bridge deck itself. This incurs a sunk cost upon the bridge owner, as the parapets will again be replaced during the regularly ; scheduled replacement of the bridge deck. In a recent instance, the replacement of a cracked parapet (without replacing the deck) ; cost District 12 approximately $140,000. In addition, parapet walls are a crucial safety feature of roadway bridge construction, ; and severe deterioration of these barriers could introduce a significant safety hazard. ; Premature cracking of concrete bridge parapets is a potentially complex problem, with a number of possible causes. The ; objective of this study was to determine the reasons for uncontrolled concrete bridge parapet cracking, and to provide ; recommendations to ODOT to prevent such cracking in the future. Potential factors examined in this study included: properties ; of the concrete mixtures used, construction methods, joint details, composite structural action, and durability of the concrete and ; reinforcement. Identifying the cause of, and avoiding this problem in the future, has several benefits, including: a potential cost ; savings for the district, increasing the safety of these structures in future construction, and increasing the overall understanding of ; the durability of these structures.
  More +
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  SJN 134602
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/26792/dot_26792_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 18.26 MB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:fb34e91a51382415431fabaa69c55572a8fad70d61d0ecbfb56c1e984dea5462