Ultra-high performance concrete named innovation of the month

The Every Day Counts named the ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), which is used as connections for prefabricated bridge elements, as the innovation of the month Thursday.

UHPC is created from ultra-high strength steel to create fiber-reinforced concrete. Using UHPC heightens the durability of the structure and simplifies the construction of the connection, which is one of the most important parts of prefabricated bridge elements. UHPC gives construction teams an additional option for finalizing the connections between prefabricated bridge elements.

There has been a significant increase in using prefabricated bridge pieces in construction projects. Now these strong connections are part of several bridge projects that have been noted for their success.

Among the successful bridge projects is a bridge in Potterville, Mich. Construction crews successfully slid the new bridge for M-100 into its position on Nov. 14.

In order to give crews adequate training for using prefabricated bridge elements, the EDC UHPC Connections Innovation Deployment Team provides crews with workshops, technical assistance, training and peer exchanges.

There is a presentation available online titled the "EDC Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections." This presentation provides an overview of the process of using UHPC with prefabricated bridge elements.

A workshop is scheduled for Dec. 6, and a presentation is scheduled on Dec. 8.