ABSTRACT
Around 7.5% of bridges in the United States are considered structurally deficient, and the existing backlog for bridge repair costs has reached $125 billion. Looking ahead, there is a growing demand for the replacement of bridges, along with advancements in construction methods and materials to enhance the longevity of these crucial infrastructure assets. To address the shortcomings of traditional prestressed concrete bridge girders, a new hybrid beam element, the Hybrid Deck Bulb Tee (HDBT) is presented. The HDBT utilizes staged fabrication, in which the bottom flange is cast with Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) and prestressed prior to casting the web and top flange with High Performance Concrete (HPC). The purpose of this study is to analytically evaluate the structural performance of HDBT elements for bridge structures. Three HDBT bridges were designed following the state-of-the-art criteria in regards of UHPC bridge design.
