Bulb-T Beams with Self-Consolidating Concrete on Route 33 in Virginia

A study investigated bulb-T beams with self-consolidating concrete (SCC) in the Route 33 Bridge over the Pamunkey River in Virginia, near West Point. Before construction of the bridge, two test beams with SCC similar in cross section to the actual beams in the structure were cast and loaded to failure at FHWA's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, Virginia. They were tested for transfer length, development length, flexural strength, and shear strength. These test beams demonstrated that SCC members can be designed with the same methods, assumptions, and limiting values as used for normally consolidated concrete beams. On the basis of positive results, beams with SCC were cast and placed in the bridge. It was found that SCC can be prepared yielding adequate slump flow without segregation, satisfactory strength and acceptably low permeability. Attention should be paid to the sensitivity of SCC to water content.