Link to Latest Report: Final Report
Link to: ABC-UTC Guide for Inspection and QA/QC for ABC Projects
Background:
The application of ABC techniques has significantly increased in recent history as familiarity and confidence in the construction methods have grown. While the main benefit of ABC projects is a reduction in closure times and associated user costs, an added benefit is the increased quality of prefabricated bridge elements. However, these elements can only perform as expected if the quality and performance of the cast-in-place, field constructed joints/connections are of the same caliber. There is a general lack of existing research and knowledge regarding inspection of joint quality and performance prior to opening to traffic, despite the critical importance of these bridge elements. The proposed project will evaluate the capabilities of existing nondestructive testing technologies that could be used for inspection and QA/QC purposes. The applicability of these technologies could then be considered for ABC purposes, such as the determination of bond and joint strength between pre-formed deck panels and the cast-in-place joint strips. The applications to be explored will be based upon the literature review findings and the limitations associated with each method.
Objectives:
The objective of this project is to complete a thorough literature review of nondestructive testing technologies and their associated capabilities. These methods will then be explored to determine applicability for the inspection and quality control of accelerated bridge construction projects.
Scope:
The following tasks will be performed to achieve the project goals:
- Task 1 – Literature Review
- An extensive literature review of nondestructive testing technology for concrete applications will be performed to identify possible methods for further exploration.
- Task 2 – Applications for ABC
- Based upon the results of the literature review, promising technologies will be identified to explore their applicability for ABC. This task will reduce the general list of inspection and nondestructive testing methods to those which are deemed most valuable for future investigation.
- Task 3 – Final Report
- A detailed final report will be prepared to document the project findings.
Research Team:
Principal Investigator: Dr. Katelyn Freeseman
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Brent Phares
Previous Progress Reports: