Join the High-Performance Concrete Community

Join the high-performance concrete team. The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) “virtual” team for high-performance concrete (HPC) has developed the online HPC Exchange as a comprehensive source of information on HPC use and technology. HPC is concrete that has been engineered to produce mixes that better meet the requirements of specific bridge or pavement projects, resulting in bridges and pavements that last longer and require less maintenance. Open to all, the Exchange site (knowledge.fhwa.dot.gov/cops/hpcx.nsf/home) features communities of practice on such HPC topics as:

• Definition and Research
• Structural Design and Specifications
• Mix Design and Proportioning
• Precast/Prestressed Beam Fabrication, Transportation, and Erection
• Cast-in-Place Construction
• Instrumentation, Monitoring, and Evaluation
• Costs
• Case Studies/Lessons Learned.

Each community contains a reference section with papers, articles, case studies, and other useful materials; a “works in progress” section where documents can be posted; a discussion section that invites users to post comments or questions; and a directory section with contact information for team members and other users. Visitors can also find information on upcoming HPC events. The site’s Home Page features a “What’s New” box, with information such as biographical profiles of new team members. To get the most out of the site, users can sign up for personalized daily email notifications based on their particular interests.

Other structural virtual teams that have been established to date include ones for segmental concrete bridges, high-performance steel, seismic engineering, tunnels, and fiber-reinforced polymers. To learn more, visit the following Web sites. Focus will also cover the teams in future articles. Additional teams are in the works, including those for cable-stay bridges, load and resistance factor design, accelerated bridge construction, and bridge monitoring. Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites— www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/frp/index.cfm High-Performance Steel— www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/hps.htm High Strength Bolts— www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/bolts.htm Segmental Concrete Bridge Technology— www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/segmental/index.htm Seismic Technology— www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/seismic/index.htm Road Tunnels— www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/tunnel/index.htm

The virtual team’s goal is to “build up and spread the wealth of information and knowledge on HPC technology and promote good practices,” says Ben Tang of FHWA. Team members represent FHWA, State highway agencies, academia, and industry. Case studies included on the site range from an HPC Bridge Showcase project in Alabama to Colorado’s construction of an HPC box-girder bridge. One posted topic that recently spurred a huge amount of interest dealt with HPC deck cracking. Almost half of the States responded with what they considered to be best practices for successfully mitigating this phenomenon.

“After less than 18 months in operation, the HPC Exchange continues to maintain a healthy index of use,” says Site Administrator Lou Triandafilou of the FHWA Resource Center. For more information on the HPC Exchange or the HPC Virtual Team, contact Lou Triandafilou at 410-962-3648 (email: lou.triandafilou@fhwa.dot.gov).

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Articles in this issue:

Partnerships, Innovation Build a Bridge in South Carolina

Blue Ribbon Panel Issues Recommendations for Bridge and Tunnel Security

Value Engineering 2003: Conference Features Success Stories, Lessons Learned

Join the High-Performance Concrete Community

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