On-Going Projects

1st-Cycle Projects (2016-grant)

• Development Of Guide For Selection Of Substructure For ABC Projects:  The primary objective of this project is to provide guidelines for decision making by the designers and bridge owners for the selection of substructure and foundation for new bridges and replacement of existing bridges using ABC methods. This is a joint project between FIU and OU, with OU focusing on foundation and FIU on remaining.
• Envisioning Connection Detail for Connecting Concrete Filled Tube (CFT) Columns to Cap Beam for High Speed Rail Application:  The main objective of the project is to develop sufficient amount of data and proof of concept test, for system(s) that could be used to connect the cap beam and pile cap beam to CFT columns in ABC projects. This is a joint project between FIU and UW.
• Field Demonstration-Instrumentation and monitoring of Accelerated Repair Using UHPC Shell:  The main objective of this project is to select an existing in-service bridge with damaged column element, retrofit it using UHPC shell, using cast in place technique, instrument it and monitor it to identify deterioration of the repair and substrate material as well as development of corrosion of steel within the column.
• Innovative Foundation Alternative for High Speed Rail Application:  The objectives of this project include; development and validation of innovative foundation systems for HSR applications, detailed finite element modeling; and NL FE analysis to investigate the seismic response of HSR bridges with innovative foundations. This is a joint project between FIU and UNR, with FIU focusing on the component modeling and UNR on incorporation into the bridge system.

3rd-Cycle Projects (2013-grant)

• A Predictive Computer Program for Proactive Demolition Planning:  The project objective is to enhance the predictive capability of bridge demolition process by developing a computational framework that can efficiently simulate feasible demolition scenarios and take the guesswork out of equation.
• Corrosion Durability of Reinforced Concrete Utilizing UHPC for ABC Applications:  The overall objective of this project is to investigate the corrosion durability performance of UHPC joints between precast reinforced concrete sections.
• Extending Maximum Length of the Folded Steel Plate Girder Bridge System (FSPGBS), exceeding 100 ft. with capability to Incorporate Camber:  The main objective of the proposed project is to develop a new version of Folded Steel Plate Girder Bridge System (FSPGBS) with maximum span length, exceeding 100 ft. with allowance to incorporate camber.
• NDT Methods Applicable to Health Monitoring of ABC Closure Joints:  This project involves search, identification, and adaptation or development of practical and economical methods for field inspection and damage detection of ABC closure joints, immediately after completion and periodically thereafter during its service life.
• Performance Comparison of In-Service, Full-Depth Precast Concrete Deck Panels to Cast-in-Place Decks:   The primary objective of this project is to determine the actual in-service performance of full-depth, precast deck panels compared to conventional cast-in-place (CIP) decks.
• Use of Drones in ABC:  The ABC Drone (ABCD) project is designed to investigate the applications within the ABC methods where drone technology can be utilized for improving or facilitating the process for accuracy, economy, timeliness and safety. It will provide guidelines to overcome the many challenges of using drones for inspection and construction programs.

1st-Cycle Projects (2013-grant)

• Development of Manual for Enhanced Service Life of ABC Projects:  The main objective of this project is to develop a manual devoted to service life performance of ABC projects.

Completed Projects

2nd-Cycle Projects (2013-grant)

• Demolition Requirements for Bridge Construction Projects – Best Practices Guideline (Phase I):  The goal of this project is to determine the current state of practice and state of the art in bridge demolition (both conventional and ABC) and develop a best practices guideline for bridge demolition. Phase I of this project involved a survey of State DOTs on their bridge demolition practices.
• Estimating Total Cost of Bridge Construction using ABC and Conventional Methods of Construction (Phase II):  The objective of this project is to create a framework for evaluating and utilizing public costs as part of the decision-making processes associated with bridge construction and the development of a public cost analysis and estimation tool. This is Phase II of the project.
• Alternative ABC Connections Utilizing UHPC:  This project will focus on the exploration of UHPC joint details for use in ABC projects through experimental, analytical, and numerical work.
• Extending Application of SDCL to ABC (Phase II – Experimental):  The objective of this second phase is to experimentally investigate SDCL for steel bridge details developed in Phase I of the project.
• Accelerated Retrofit Of Bridge Columns using UHPC Shell – Phase I: Feasibility Study: ( Originally a sub-project of “Alternative ABC Connections Utilizing UHPC.” ): This research aims to investigate the performance of UHPC as retrofit material for damaged bridge columns. To achieve this goal, an experimental study was designed to evaluate the mechanical performance of the repaired columns under a combination of static axial and cyclic lateral loads (to simulate operational conditions).
• Experimental Investigation of High Performing Protective Shell Used for Retrofitting Bridge Elements ( Originally a sub-project of “Alternative ABC Connections Utilizing UHPC.”): The goal of this project is to provide an alternative method for retrofitting the flexural bridge elements by attaching a layer of UHPC shell to damaged areas.

1st-Cycle Projects (2013-grant)

• Compilation of ABC Solutions:  The objective of the project is to compile information on existing accelerated bridge technologies and present the information in a manner useful to designers.
• International Database of ABC Research:  This project involves the development of a comprehensive database that is both user friendly and easily navigable.
• Estimating Total Cost of Bridge Construction using ABC and Conventional Methods of Construction (Phase I):  The objective of this project is to create a framework for evaluating and utilizing public costs as part of the decision-making processes associated with bridge construction and the development of a public cost analysis and estimation tool.
• Extending Application of SDCL to ABC (Phase I – Conceptual and Analytical):  The objective of the study is to develop necessary details and design provisions for extending the application of the simple for dead and continuous for live load steel bridge system to highly seismic areas.