On the use of High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete in bridge design
This blog post discusses ongoing collaborative research between the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and ACCIONA’s Construction Technology Centre on High-Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (HPFRC) in bridge design. HPFRC, with compressive strength of 100-120 MPa, offers elevated prestressing levels, reducing concrete volume and enabling larger spans in precast concrete bridges. Findings indicate reduced concrete consumption by 50%, mild reinforcement by 67%, with a 14% cost reduction compared to conventional material. This prompted a large experimental campaign in shear response. Despite difficulties, HPFRC presents a promising, cost-competitive alternative in bridge construction, with ongoing efforts to refine design models for wider industry adoption.
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