October 18, 2022 CSCE Monthly Dinner Meeting

Graduate Storrs Hotel

Attendees may earn 1 New York State Professional 
Development Hour (NYS PDH) at this event.

Please join CSCE at our monthly meeting at the Graduate Hotel at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, on Tuesday, October 18, 2022. At this meeting, Alexandra Hain, Ph.D., P.E., Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut will give a presentation on Field Implementations of UHPC Beam End Repair on Steel Girder Bridges in CT. The meeting co-sponsors are the CT Chapter of the ASCE Construction Institute and the ASCE Student Chapter at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.

Presentation Summary: 

Corrosion at beam ends is one of the most pressing challenges in the maintenance of aging steel bridges. To tackle this challenge, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) worked with the University of Connecticut to develop a repair for corroded beam ends using ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). The repair involves welding shear studs to the intact portions of the web and encasing the beam end with UHPC. This provides an alternate load path for bearing forces that bypasses the corroded regions of the beam. The structural viability of the repair has been extensively proven through experimental and analytical tests.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation conducted its first field implementation in 2019. The project’s success led to a second implementation in 2021 on a weathering steel bridge. This presentation will provide an overview of the first two field applications of the repair in CT and present the lessons learned during construction.  It is expected that this information will provide engineers and contractors with a better understanding of the repair implementation process. 

Speaker Biography:

Alexandra Hain, Ph.D., P.E., Assistant Research Professor at the University of Connecticut

Dr. Hain is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Connecticut. She received her PhD in Civil Engineering with a focus in Structural Engineering in May 2019 from the University of Connecticut. Her research focuses on novel construction materials, innovative inspection techniques using 3D imaging, as well as engineering education and workforce development.  Her work on a novel repair method for corroded steel bridge beams using ultra-high performance concrete was recognized in the December 2019 issue of Civil Engineering Magazine, the March/April 2022 Issue of the USDOT Innovator Magazine, and is featured in the current Federal Highway Administration, Every Day Counts Initiative (EDC-6).  She serves as PI and co-PI and on multiple projects with the Department of Defense, National Institute of Undersea Vehicle Technology (NIUVT), Connecticut Department of Transportation, National Science Foundation, and industry.