COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP SPECIAL RELEASE 3
Evaluation of Ultra-High Performance
Concrete Connections
Amanda Walsh
Michael Gallaher
Benjamin Fein-Smolinski
RTI INTERNATIONAL
Research Triangle Park, NC
Subject Areas
Bridges and Other Structures • Materials • Research (about research)
CRP SPECIAL RELEASE SERIES
The Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) Special Release series publishes the findings of projects managed by CRP upon request by organizations outside of CRP’s core research programs.
CRP SPECIAL RELEASE 3
Project TFPE-03
ISSN 2831-4670
ISBN 978-0-309-68708-9
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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR CRP SPECIAL RELEASE 3
Christopher J. Hedges, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Lori L. Sundstrom, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Ann M. Hartell, Senior Program Officer
Andrew C. Lemer, Senior Program Officer (retired)
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
CRP PROJECT TFPE-03 PANEL
Kimberly L. Webb, Michigan Department of Transportation, Southfield, MI (Chair)
Christina Janet Freeman, Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, FL
Bijan Khaleghi, Washington State Department of Transportation, Tumwater, WA
Hani Nassif, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ
Bala Sivakumar, T. Y. Lin International, New York, NY
Mary Huie, FHWA Liaison
FOREWORD
By Ann M. Hartell
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
CRP Special Release 3 presents an evaluation of FHWA’s Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) Research and Development Program. The report will be of interest to those responsible for highway bridge designs and materials testing. The report also addresses the broader topics of technology transfer, diffusion of innovation, and methods to quantify the value of research.
This report documents an evaluation of FHWA’s Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) Research and Development Program. The UHPC Program was initiated in 2002 and is housed at the FHWA Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC). UHPC is a cementitious composite material with higher compressive, tensile, and flexural strength; lower permeability; and improved durability compared with conventional concrete. UHPC is used in highway bridges, particularly for bridge-deck-level connections for prefabricated bridge elements. Program activities include large-scale structural testing along with activities to promote broader implementation of UHPC connections (UHPC-C) for highway bridges.
The UHPC Research and Development Program was assessed under the TRB-FHWA Program Evaluation (TFPE) effort, which is part of a second stage of FHWA’s R&T Evaluation Program. For Project TFPE-03, “Evaluation of Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections,” RTI International was tasked to evaluate the management of the UHPC Program, assess the effectiveness of activities to encourage implementation of UHPC-C, and estimate the benefits and costs of adopting UHPC-C. The effort included an assessment of the business case for adoption of UHPC-C and the barriers to adoption by transportation agencies and other stakeholders in the bridge delivery supply chain.
ABOUT THE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION PROGRAM
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that supports state and local governments in the design, construction, and maintenance of the nation’s highway system (Federal Aid Highway Program) and various federally and tribally owned lands (Federal Lands Highway Program). A significant portion of FHWA’s research activities, evolved over many years in response to successive legislative initiatives, is managed by agency staff from the Research and Technology (R&T) Program housed at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, Virginia, and other locations. The aim of FHWA’s R&T activities is to support FHWA’s mission through deployment of innovations that address current issues and emerging challenges, create efficiencies in the highway and transportation sector, and provide information to support policy decisions.
The FHWA Research and Technology Evaluation Program seeks to assess and communicate the benefits of FHWA’s R&T efforts; ensure that the organization is expending public resources efficiently and effectively; and build evidence to shape and improve policymaking. FHWA partners with State transportation departments, local agencies, industries, and academia to conduct research on issues of national significance and accelerate adoption and deployment of promising research products.
To ensure that R&T activities are effectively and efficiently contributing to FHWA’s mission, R&T staff apply leading practices in research management and occasionally undertake formal evaluations of select activities, projects, or programs. In addition, FHWA’s R&T staff solicit advice from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), particularly the Research and Technology Coordinating Committee (RTCC). The RTCC issues annual reports commenting on R&T programs generally and suggesting adjustments to program strategies and approaches to improve program relevance, effectiveness, and impact.
In 2014, FHWA initiated the R&T Evaluation Program with two core objectives:
- To evaluate the selection process by which research is funded, and
- To assess the effectiveness of selected projects within the R&T portfolio, in terms of both research outcomes and technology transfer activities.
Under the R&T Evaluation Program’s initial phase, 16 evaluations conducted by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center were completed or in progress at the end of calendar year 2019.
FHWA has asked TRB to undertake management of evaluations under a second stage of the R&T Evaluation Program. TRB’s activities under this TRB-FHWA Program Evaluation (TFPE) effort comprise a series of projects evaluating research activities designated by FHWA and conducted by RTI International under TRB’s direction and oversight. To date, the following projects have been completed:
- TFPE-01, Asphalt Binder Quality Tester
- TFPE-02, Exploratory Advanced Research
- TFPE-03, Ultra High-Performance Concrete Connections
These evaluations are intended to generate evidence and provide data-driven assessments that substantiate the contributions of FHWA’s R&T Program to fulfilling the agency’s mission and strategic goals. The evaluations are focused on estimating and forecasting the socioeconomic returns from investments in R&T Program activities to inform future research plans and improve technology transition outcomes. To this end, the evaluations include quantitative estimates of impact metrics. In addition, the evaluations provide input on data collection, tracking, and monitoring for ongoing program evaluation and improvement.
CONTENTS
Section 3 Data Collection Methods
4.1 TFHRC UHPC-C Research Timeline
4.2 Alignment of TFHRC UHPC-C Research and FHWA Strategy
4.3 Effectiveness of TFHRC Efforts
Section 5 Business Case for and Barriers to Adoption of UHPC-C
Section 6 Quantification of Socioeconomic Impacts
6.4 Estimate Benefits Attributable to TFHRC
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