Capacity of Reinforced/Prestressed Concrete Compression Members Strengthened/Repaired Using Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Encasement

Currently, 36% of bridges in the United States need major repair work or replacement and 7% of them are classified as structurally deficient. Most of these bridges can be repaired or strengthened to meet the current load demands and withstand the environmental impacts for the remaining service life. Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has shown immense potential as a repair and strengthening material thanks to its exceptional characteristics such as high workability, excellent strength and durability, and remarkable energy absorption capacity. This paper presents an analytical approach to predict the capacity of reinforced or prestressed concrete compression members with UHPC encasement (jacket) under combined axial and bending effects. The approach is based on strain compatibility and uses idealized UHPC material models in tension and compression according to the new AASHTO Guide Specifications. The approach uses integration to develop accurate interaction diagrams for any section with complex geometry, which overcomes the approximations of the lamina approach. The paper also provides a comprehensive literature review on UHPC usage in repairing and strengthening concrete bridge columns and piers. A design example of a circular reinforced concrete column is presented to illustrate the proposed approach and to calculate the nominal and design capacities of the composite section. This example has shown that increasing the thickness of the UHPC jacket has a prominent effect on enhancing the axial capacity but only a slight effect on the flexural capacity of compression members.