1. Optimising Precast Bridge Girders for Sustainability With the use of High Performance Concrete
Doug Jenkins - Interactive Design Services
Joanne Portella– DMC Advisory, Melbourne.
Daksh Baweja – DMC Advisory, Melbourne, The University of Technology, Sydney.

2. Introduction
Focus of emissions reduction strategies in Australia has been on cement reduction.
Can significant emissions reductions be made with the use of high strength concrete?
Outline of study:
Effect of high strength concrete and high supplementary cementitious material (SCM) content on total CO2 emissions.
Typical 2 Span freeway overbridge
5 grades of concrete
3 deck types

3. Alternative Concrete Mixes

4. Component Emissions

5. Embodied Energy Calculation

7. Typical Super T Girder Section

8. Design Constraints
High strength concrete allows increased prestress force and/or reduced bottom flange depth.
Pretension force limited by concrete strength at transfer and number of available strand locations.
Provision of post-tensioned cables allows higher total prestress force.
Reduced girder depth will often provide additional savings to emissions and cost (not considered in this study).
Live load deflection may control minimum girder depth.
Moment connection over pier reduces deflections.

9. Alternative Girder Dimensions

10. Design Options
Type 1 - Fully Pre-tensioned Design: Typical current practice; Standard Super-T girders with in-situ top slab and link slab.
Type 2 - Post-tensioned Design: As Type 1 but post-tensioned after casting top slab.
Type 3 - Post-tensioned Continuous Design: As Type 2, but with full structural continuity over the central support.

11. Typical Grillage Layout

12. Beam / Slab Detail

13. Live Load (Max Moment)

14. Girder Bending Moments

15. Live Load Deflections

16. Live Load Deflections
Maximum allowable deflection (AS 5100) = 47.5 mm.
Decks Type 2-E and 2-D exceeded this limit by 3% and 11% respectively.
Deflections may be reduced by:
Using the next deeper girder
Using a higher strength concrete
Providing momemt continuity over the pier

18. Emissions Analysis Results

19. Emissions Analysis Results

20. Research and Development
Optimise SCM content for in-situ slab
Optimise design procedures for high strength concrete
Shear strength
Creep and shrinkage losses
Deflection limits
ULS design factors

21. R&D – Optimise ULS Design
Rectangular Section; 90 MPa

22. Research and Development
Post-tensioning at the precast yard
Use of ultra high strength concrete
Geopolymer concrete
For precast work
In-situ top slab

23. Conclusions
SCM’s allowed significant reductions in CO2 emissions in all cases, compared with the standard “reference case” concrete.
High SCM concrete showed greatest reduction, but reduced compressive strength at transfer, and increased curing period.
Emissions from the 80 MPa and 100 MPa concretes were about equal to the 65 MPa concrete.
Higher strengths allowed the use of a reduced depth of girder, with associated savings in other works.

24. Conclusions
Precast post-tensioned girders allowed significantly higher levels of prestress, and reduction in concrete volumes and emissions.
Structural continuity over the central support allowed an additional small saving in emissions.
The overall reduction of CO2 emissions was not a simple function of the reduction of Portland cement in the concrete, but was also based on how the material properties of the concretes used influenced the structural efficiency of the design.

25. Conclusions
Engineering is the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man.
- Thomas Tredgold,