My Calendar

Events in September 2024

  • Innovations in Ultra-High Performance Concrete

    Category: In Depth Web Training Innovations in Ultra-High Performance Concrete

    –
    September 10, 2024

    Atorod Azizinamini, Ph.D., P.E., Director and Professor, Florida International University; Eugen Brühwiler, Prof. em. Ph.D., P.E., Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and BridgIng Consultant; Sam Fallaha, P.E., NoVA District Bridge Engineer, Virgina Department of Transportation; Benjamin Graybeal, Ph.D., P.E., Team Leader Bridge Engineering Research, FHWA Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center; Michael D. McDonagh, P.E., P.Eng., Vice President, WSP

    Earn 4-hour Certificate of Attendance (https://abc-utc.fiu.edu/webinars/certificates-of-attendance/)

    Click to Register

    Description:
    The ABC-UTC 2024 In-Depth Web Training features the latest developments related to innovations in Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) and examples of their use. This training is four hours in length and consists of five modules, each a 35-minute presentation followed by a 10-minute Q&A session, with a 15-minute break between Module 2 and Module 3. The web training starts at 11:00 a.m. Eastern and ends at 3:15 p.m. Eastern.


    (click to enlarge)

    Presenters:


    Atorod-Azizinamini headshot picture

    Atorod Azizinamini, Ph.D., P.E.
    Director, ABC-UTC
    Vasant H. Surti Professor of Civil Engineering
    Director, Moss School of Construction, Infrastructure and Sustainability
    Director, Preeminent Institute for Resilient and Sustainable Coastal Infrastructure (InteRaCt)
    Email:  aazizina@fiu.edu

    Dr. Atorod Azizinamini, Ph.D., P.E., is Director of Infrastructure Research and Innovation at Florida International University and Vasant Surti Professor of Civil Engineering. He is also Director of IBT/ABC-UTC at FIU. His research areas focus on development of innovative solutions to address challenges facing nation’s bridges and leading the development of innovative technologies, capable of advancing the bridge engineering. He has developed several bridge engineering products and systems. He has received number of awards that includes 2015 White House Champion of Change: Transportation Innovator award. He is currently leading an effort to develop the first and most comprehensive Accelerated Bridge Construction Handbook.


    Portrait

    Eugen Brühwiler, Prof. em., Ph.D., P.E.
    Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL),
    and BridgIng Consultant, Lausanne, Switzerland
    Email: eugen.bruehwiler@epfl.ch

    Eugen Brühwiler is an Honorary Professor of structural engineering at EPFL – the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne Switzerland and consultant. His activities include modern methods of fatigue and safety assessment of existing bridges using data from monitoring as well as the use of UHPC for the rehabilitation and strengthening of bridges and the design of new bridges. As a consulting engineer, he is involved in numerous UHPC projects, mostly related to bridges and buildings, in Switzerland and abroad.

    Sam Fallaha, P.E.,
    NoVA District Bridge Engineer,
    Virgina Department of Transportation
    Email: sam.fallaha@vdot.virginia.gov

    Sam Fallaha graduated from the University of Nebraska-Go Huskers!!. Served at the Nebraska Department of Transportation 18 years ending as Assistant State Bridge Engineer, then served Florida Department of Transportation as Assistant State Structure Design Engineer for 12 Years. Sam is currently VDOT NOVA District Structures and Bridge Engineer.

    Benjamin Graybeal, Ph.D., P.E.,
    Team Leader for Bridge Engineering Research
    Federal Highway Administration
    Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center
    Email: Benjamin.graybeal@dot.gov

    Ben Graybeal is the team leader for Bridge Engineering Research in the FHWA Office of Infrastructure Research. His expertise includes bridge engineering, structural concrete, concrete materials, and forensic investigations.  He has a wealth of experience with UHPC, having been a leader in the UHPC community since FHWA began focusing on this topic in 2001.  His remarks today will focus on the newly adopted AASHTO Guide Specification for Structural Design with UHPC as well as on some promising applications where UHPC may prove particularly beneficial.




    Michael D. McDonagh, P.E., P.Eng,
    National Bridge Materials Specialist
    Senior Technical Principal
    Vice President
    Email: M.McDonagh@wsp.com

    Michael McDonagh is a Vice President and Senior Technical Principal at WSP with over 27 years of experience as a bridge designer. He started working with UHPC over 15 years ago and has assisted the Federal Highway Administration since 2016 to promote UHPC and help write and review UHPC design guidance.  He is a member of ACI 239 and the UHPC Symposium organizing committee. He also served for two years in an engineering leadership position for a commercial UHPC producer. Michael received his BS and MS in Civil Engineering from Penn State University.

    Module 1:  UHPC Shotcrete – VDOT Abutment Repair

    by Sam Fallah, P.E., NoVA District Bridge Engineer, Virgina Department of Transportation

    Description:  Maintenance and preservation of our bridges and structures is essential to keep safe and cost-effective transportation system. This new repair technique of shotcreting Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) will add  another tool to the structural maintenance tool box. Repairing concrete structures such as this abutment using (UHPC) utilizing shotcreting techniques is quick easy to apply. UHPC Shotcreting is a solution for many structural repairs that combines the strength and durability of UHPC with the fast and easy application of shotcreting.

    Figure 1-1.  Typical concrete structures subjected to chloride spray/runoff are candidates for UHPC shotcrete repair.

    Module 2:  3D Printing Utilizing UHPC

    by Atorod Azizinamini, Ph.D., P.E., Director and Professor, Florida International University

    Description: Major research projects are being conducted at FIU to develop technologies that can automate construction processes. These technologies include additive manufacturing in various forms. Additive manufacturing is a generic term that is equivalent to 3D printing or additive construction. The thrust of the completed and ongoing research projects is to 3D print structural elements using open-source Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC). The various forms of 3D printing include layer by layer, section printing, and the pneumatic spray method that is the same as shotcrete. This research seminar provides an overview of completed and ongoing research projects in the area of 3D printing. These research projects view 3D printing as a tool to automate the construction of new bridge elements or the retrofitting of existing poor bridge elements. The presentation also includes a description of the UHPC shell concept that is an excellent platform for the application of 3D printing.

    Figure 2-1. 3D oriented UHPC Column

    Figure 2-2. 3D Oriented UHPC Shell Formwork for Short Span Bridges

    Module 3:  Design and Construction of UHPC Bridge in Europe

    by Eugen Brühwiler, Ph.D., P.E., Prof. em., Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Bridging Consultant

    Description: This lecture is addressed to bridge engineers motivated to design and build new UHPC bridges as cost-effective lightweight structures of original aesthetic expression. UHPC stands for Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforced Cementitious Composite which is complemented by steel reinforcement. Basic principles and essential UHPC properties are outlined first. The conceptual design as well as issues of dimensioning and construction are illustrated by means of built projects and unrealized projects including road and railway bridges as well as pedestrian bridges in reinforced UHPC and composite steel-UHPC and timber-UHPC construction. The main conclusion is that well designed UHPC bridges are competing with traditional designs in reinforced concrete and steel.

    Figure 3-1. Road bridge in reinforced UHPC.  All bridge elements are in UHPC, except railings.

    Figure 3-2. Pedestrian bridge in reinforced UHPC.  All bridge elemetns are in UHPC and the structure is integral.

    Module 4:  Design and Construction of First UHPC Overlay on Entire Long-Span Bridge in North America

    by Michael McDonagh, P.E., P.Eng., Vice President, WSP

    Description: The two-mile-long Delaware Memorial Bridge now has a UHPC overlay on the entire deck of the first structure, making it the first suspension bridge with a complete UHPC overlay in North America. Construction began in September 2022 and was completed in November 2023. UHPC was placed on over 550,000 square feet of deck all while keeping traffic flowing in both directions across the twin bridges.

    The presentation will briefly review the steps the design team took since 2018 that resulted in overlaying the entire deck with UHPC, present how the full overlay project transpired, and discuss some of the challenges and how they were resolved, and present some recommendations for future projects.

    Figure 4-1. Delaware Memorial Bridge deck prepared by hydrodemolition and ready for UHPC overlay.

    Figure 4-2. UHPC overlay being placed on the Delaware Memorial Bridge deck.

    Module 5:  UHPC Structural Design:  The AASHTO Guide Specification and Resulting Innovative Applications

    by Benjamin Graybeal, Ph.D., P.E., Team Leader Bridge Engineering Research, FHWA Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center

    Description: UHPC is a capable structural material. So why aren’t there more UHPC structures? In a nutshell, design guidance and applications were missing, leaving a mismatch between the community of practice and the innovative solutions. With AASHTO’s publication of the Guide Specification for Structural Design with UHPC, a major hurdle has been removed. Designers, constructors, owners, and leaders now have a framework that encapsulates expert insight into a familiar, accessible package. This presentation will highlight key concepts in UHPC structural design, and will offer a variety of applications where UHPC-based structural components may prove to be the optimal solution.

    Figure 5-1. Pretensioned UHPC I-Girder

    Figure 5-2. Comparison of a conventional concrete box beam to a UHPC box beam, both spanning upwards of 95 feet.

    Question & Answer Period: Submit your questions when you register for the webinar and also in the question box during the webinar.

    Certificate of Attendance: Each site registered for this webinar will receive an email for your response. Just click the first link in the email to obtain a certificate. For multiple participants at a site, the point-of-contact registrant for that site also clicks the second link in the email, logs in, and clicks “Attendees” to provide first name, last name, and email address for each participant at that site; each participant will then receive an automatic email with link to print an individual certificate. Accessing the second link in the email will also allow participants to print certificates for past webinars that were attended by simply clicking the webinar title. Please let Ms. Ankitha Arvan at FIU know if you have questions or need assistance with receiving your certificate. Anthika’s email address is aarvan@fiu.edu.

    For More Information: Please visit our website (abc-utc.fiu.edu) for more information. You can also contact us by sending an email to abc@fiu.edu.