Open Access

ARTICLE

Investigation on Shear Performance of Concrete T-Beam Bridge Strengthened Using UHPC

Zhiyong Wan¹, Guozhang Luo², Pailin Fang², Menghui Ji², Zhizhao Ou³, Shaohua He^3,*

1 Guangdong Communication Planning & Design Institute Group Co., Ltd., No. 146 Huangbianbei Road, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, 510440, China
2 Guangdong Province Construction Engineering Machinery Construction Co., Ltd., No. 7 Cuiyu Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou, 511455, China
3 School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, No. 100 Waihuangxi Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 510006, China

* Corresponding Author: Shaohua He. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Innovative and Sustainable Materials for Reinforced Concrete Structures)

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring 2025, 19(5), 1327-1341. https://doi.org/10.32604/sdhm.2025.065177

Received 05 March 2025; Accepted 27 June 2025; Issue published 05 September 2025

Abstract

This investigation examines the shear performance of concrete T-beams reinforced with thin layers of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) through an approach that integrates experimental evaluation, numerical simulation, and practical project verification. The research is based on a real bridge, and in accordance with the similarity principle, three reduced-scale T-beams with varying UHPC thicknesses were fabricated and tested to examine their failure modes and shear behaviors. A finite element model was created to enhance understanding of how UHPC reinforces these structures, while also considering the effects of material strength and arrangement. In addition to the laboratory tests, the actual bridge was analyzed to assess the effectiveness of the proposed strengthening technique. Results indicated that concrete T-beams strengthened with 30 mm-thick layers of UHPC had significant improvements, including a 491% increase in shear stiffness, a 23.15% rise in ultimate resistance, and a 155% enhancement in deformability compared to unreinforced T-beams. Furthermore, these improvements continued to increase with the application of thicker UHPC layers. Using 120 MPa-grade UHPC with a thickness of 50 mm and an A-type arrangement ensured that the dynamic and static performance of the T-beam bridge met established code requirements. This research highlights the potential of UHPC thin layers in effectively reinforcing concrete beams for enhanced shear performance.

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Keywords

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