First Ultra-High-Performance Fibre-Reinforced Concrete

Footbridge in Spain: Design and Construction

Juan Angel Lopez, Civil Eng.; Pedro Serna, Dr.; Esteban Camacho, Dr.; Hugo Coll, Civil Eng.; Juan Navarro-Gregori, Dr.;
Universitat Politècnica de València—Construction Materials, Valencia, Spain. Contact: [email protected]
DOI: 10.2749/101686614X13830788505793

Abstract Top chord

Lighting
Ultra-high-performance fibre-rein-
Lightening
forced concrete (UHPFRC) is defined Deck 0,03 m
as a cement-based composite material thick slabs
that combines three technical advances

2,06 m
Reinforcement
in concrete: high compressive strength,

1,42 m
at construction
presence of steel fibres and flowability. joints
Longitudinal Transverse
Since UHPFRC is a very expensive deck rib deck rib

material, in order that UHPFRC can

be considered as a competitive alter- Service 2,90 m
native in structural applications, it is pipes
Bottom chord X-shaped truss
necessary to optimise the design of Construction joint
structural systems. This process leads Fig. 1: Cross section at mid span (left) and at supports (right)
to UHPFRC lightweight structures
that minimise the concrete needs and
give solutions more similar to steel as a cement-based composite mate- A widespread use of UHPFRC
than concrete. rial that combines three technical required the development of new
The innovative design of the 43,5 m advances in concrete: high compres- designs that take full advantage of the
span footbridge, constructed only with sive strength, ductile behaviour under mechanical properties of UHPFRC so
UHPFRC and placed over the Ovejas tension due to the presence of steel as to minimise the total volume used
ravine in Alicante, Spain, is presented fibres and special selection of fine and and the total cost. Thus, it is necessary
in this paper. The new UHPFRC foot- ultra-fine aggregates leading to dense to readapt designs to more efficient
bridge has replaced the former design particle packing, high durability and structural systems and cross-sectional
devised in steel due to many factors flowability.1 According to Ref. [1], the shapes. This is only possible by a deep
such as lower construction and mainte- minimum compressive strength for a knowledge of its mechanical behav-
nance costs, high durability in aggres- UHPFRC is 150 MPa. However, it has iour, which must be reflected in design
sive environment close to the sea been shown that structural elements guides and codes.
leading to an increase in service life with compressive strengths between
and its aesthetic enhancement. 120 and 140 MPa provide the opti- Scope
mum solution between mass, durabil-
This paper covers several issues about ity, abrasion resistance and cost.2 This The 43,5 m span footbridge presented
the design and construction of this innovative material is then charac- in this paper is the first structure
singular footbridge, such as design terised by the use of exclusive com- constructed with UHPFRC in Spain
justification, structural evaluation, ponents and a high control during its and, as far as we know, it is the first
UHPFRC mix design, quality control production. truss pedestrian bridge made only of
and construction process at all stages. UHPFRC. It is located in Alicante,
First applications of UHPFRC were
The static and dynamic load tests per- Spain, next to its harbour. A very aes-
focused on the design and construction
formed are also presented. thetic, innovative and slender design
of precast pedestrian bridges. Since
has been devised for the purpose of
The footbridge over the Ovejas ravine the construction of the Sherbrooke
establishing a reference point, as well
has become the first structure con- footbridge in 19973 to the most
as a suitable connection between two
structed with UHPFRC in Spain, and recent pedestrian and road bridges,
districts that are historically isolated by
as far as we know, it is the first truss the design, optimisation of UHPFRC
the Ovejas ravine. In this way, the foot-
pedestrian footbridge made only of material properties and construc-
bridge will fulfil the environmental and
UHPFRC in the world. tion methods have greatly improved.
expansion needs of Alicante.
Although the number of applications is
Keywords: ultra-high-performance
increasing, the use of UHPFRC is still This paper covers several issues about
concrete (UHPC); truss footbridge;
restricted to few singular structures, the design and construction of this
durability; aesthetics; innovative design.
mainly in France, Germany, Japan and singular footbridge, such as design
the USA, due to the lack of suitable justification, structural evaluation,
Introduction codes for design, the high cost of the UHPFRC mix design, quality control
material, about ten times higher than and construction process at all stages.
Ultra-high-performance fibre-rein- a conventional concrete, and the lack The static and dynamic load tests per-
forced concrete (UHPFRC) is defined of knowledge4 on the part of engineers. formed are also presented.

Structural Engineering International 1/2014 Technical Report 101

This paper also intends to show and a variable width. They are nar- were not considered at SETRA-AFGC
the potential of this material when rower near the support and its width recommendations due to the complex
engineers make full use of all the widens towards mid span. A longitu- design of the footbridge.
advantages that it offers in terms of dinal lighting element is placed along
As the deck is located at an interme-
mechanical, durability and aesthetic underside of it. The top chords are also
diate height along the main truss, only
properties. Thereby, UHPFRC can used as a railing.
the stiffness of the top chord and the
offer not only good solutions from the
The deck is located right in the middle diagonals can prevent the top chord
structural point of view but also better
of the lateral webs, following the same from buckling in a transverse plane to
solutions when compared with other
curve as top chords and keeping the rail- the truss. In this way, both top chord
designs using different materials.
ing height constant. It consists of 30 mm and diagonal cross-sections have to be
thick slabs, with no traditional reinforce- wide enough. A second-order analysis
Design ment apart from steel fibres, supported was performed to obtain its final sizes.6
by transverse and longitudinal ribs. After this analysis, it was decided to
The UHPFRC footbridge over the lighten the top chord so as to improve
The footbridge design leaves no details
Ovejas ravine replaced a previous its radius of gyration as well as to
to chance. A truss Warren system where
design devised in steel due to reduc- reduce its weight, enhancing its buck-
the main elements are working alterna-
tion of the construction and mainte- ling conditions.
tively in compression and tension is very
nance costs as well as enhancement on
suitable for this concrete and takes full There were some other structural prob-
its aesthetics and its service life. The
advantages of its mechanical proper- lems that stayed out of the recommen-
footbridge design required a hard work
ties. As it can be seen in Fig. 2, the slope dations, such as crack propagation on
to ensure all requirements imposed by
and length of the diagonals are vari- tensile diagonals at service limit state,
the contracting authority. Moreover,
able. This solution makes sense for the behaviour of the truss joints, transmis-
since the footbridge was pretended to
transfer of shear load along the beam as sion of shear forces through construc-
be constructed in a traditional precast-
the axial forces carried by diagonals are tion joints, manufacturing system and
ing company, the design was adapted
lower at mid span and increase towards casting method. Because of this, it was
so as to keep the construction systems
supports. This structural system leads to decided to perform a prototype of the
they are already used to, with only
major savings in material and reduces footbridge to check these problems.7 It
minor modifications.5 Thus, it was pos-
visual impact of the footbridge. showed that appropriate design crite-
sible to ensure an economical form-
ria had been considered.
work and casting process. Moreover, as the material is mould-
able, smooth joints were designed.
The design consists of a U-shaped Therefore, although a truss beam has UHPFRC Mix
cross-sectional beam with a 43,5 m been devised, the design remains far
span and a variable depth from 1,34 m Most of the structures made with
from the traditional aesthetics of con-
at abutments to 2,06 m at the mid UHPFRC have used patented prod-
ventional steel trusses. The holes along
span (Fig. 1). The lateral webs of the ucts that have been developed by the
the truss above the deck are closed
footbridge are two modified Warren joint work of companies and univer-
using transparent glasses to make
trusses made with a 6V:1H transverse sities. However, these products are
walking on the footbridge safe without
slope. The truss diagonal members are either too expensive or not accessible
diminishing transparency.
variable in length with a 150 × 120 mm in market. Therefore, it was necessary
cross section and are heavily rein- to develop our own dosages based on
forced. Both diagonals in tension and Structural Evaluation Criteria available local materials. The final dos-
in compression include four 20 mm ages proposed were the result of previ-
diameter bars. Both trusses are con- A three-dimensional 3D model was ous studies that aimed to optimise the
nected at the bottom with an X-shaped implemented in SAP20006 and a linear concrete behaviour in both fresh and
truss (Fig. 2). It is formed by a 150 × analysis was performed to obtain the hardened states with two percent of
120 mm cross section with four 12 mm element forces. The structural evalua- hybrid fibres.8
diameter bars. tion and reinforcement needs were met
according to the SETRA-AFGC rec- One of the requirements specified
The truss bottom chords are 150 mm in ommendations1 for both ultimate limit by the contracting authority was that
depth and contain a total of 18 15,2 mm state (ULS) and serviceability limit the footbridge had to be made in two
seven-wire pre-stressing strands each. state (SLS). However, there were some colours: light brown for the deck slabs
The top chords have a constant depth structural problems to deal with, which and greenish grey for the rest. To that
end, it was decided to include pigment
43,50 m
in the UHPFRC dosage. The main
details of the UHPFRC mixes used are
2,06 m

summarised in Table 1.
For both dosages, a characteristic
compressive strength of 135 MPa was
42,66 m obtained in laboratory without curing
treatment. The slump flow test results
were 760 mm and 750 mm for green-
ish grey and light brown, respectively,
2,90 m

without fibre segregation. Its bending

behaviour was also characterised in
Fig. 2: Elevation and floor of the footbridge laboratory by means of 100 × 100 ×

102 Technical Report Structural Engineering International 1/2014

 Greenish grey Light brown Greenish grey Light brown
kg/m3 kg/m3
Cement 1000 800 Fibres OL 13/0,16 78,1 78,1
SF 150 — Fibres RC80/30BP 78,1 78,1
FC3R[9] — 120 Superplasticiser 11,22 10,56
QF — 160 Green pigment 23 —
Silica sand 0,5 mm 300,5 734,4 Yellow pigment — 21,6
Silica sand 1,8 mm 700,5 314,7 Red pigment — 3,24
Total water 201,3 199,8 w/b 0,175 0,185
Table 1: UHPFRC mixtures for the two types of concretes designed

Specimen number Shape Size Tests Average strength (MPa) Variation coefficients (%)
17 Cylindrical Φ150 / 300-mm height Elastic modulus 48 511 2,5
34 Prismatic 100 × 100 × 450 mm Four-point flexural test 31,2 12,2
17 Prismatic 150 × 150 × 450 mm Four-point flexural test 32,7 13,7
17 Prismatic 150 × 30 × 450 mm Four-point flexural test 27,0 12,1
68 Cubic 100 × 100 × 100 Compression test 147,4 3,8
Table 2: Quality control for greenish grey concrete

Specimen number Shape Size Tests Average strength (MPa) Variation coefficients (%)
Flexural test and
14 Prismatic 100 × 100 × 450 mm 29,8 9,9
inverse analysis
28 Cubic 100 × 100 × 100 Compression test 141,9 3,3
Table 3: Quality control for light brown concrete

500 mm prismatic specimens. Its char- 1st

2nd
acteristic flexural strength was 25 MPa
for both concretes. Characteristic ten-
Construction 5th
sile constitutive law was obtained by joints Reinforcement at
our own inverse analysis methodology construction joints
over the flexural test data results.
During the construction, an inten-
sive quality control process for all 3rd
4th
2nd
batches was performed. All batches
were always lower than 1,5 m3. The
total volume of greenish grey and light
brown concrete was 22,7 m3 and 4 m3,
respectively. The number of specimens Fig. 3: Casting stages and construction joint emplacement (left) and detail of first and
cast, its type and the tests results are second casting stages (right)
shown in Tables 2 and 3. The results
obtained from the tests show that all
required mechanical properties have briefly described. More detailed infor- were cast. Seven days after transverse
been achieved. Therefore, the concrete mation can be found in Ref. [10]. ribs casting, the pre-stressing strands
cast in the precasting factory using were released. No problems were
conventional technologies shows com- The first elements cast were the two
detected during the loading. In the last
parable results with the mixes made in lateral trusses (Fig. 3). These elements
stage, the deck slabs were made and
laboratory. were cast on a horizontal position
put in place between the transverse
(Fig. 3, right). The holes that configure
ribs.
the truss shape were made using sheet
Construction steel pieces. In a second phase, the top
chord and longitudinal deck rib were Load Test
As the footbridge is of 43,5 m span, it is cast only five hours after the first stage.
The footbridge load test took place
possible to transport the whole struc- In the third stage, the bottom chords,
at the precasting factory before being
ture from the precasting factory to the X-shaped truss and the massive
transported to its final location. Both
the final location by means of special concrete walls at supports were cast on static and dynamic load tests were
transport. However, the whole foot- the floor, following the same process performed according to the Spanish
bridge is very difficult to cast in one used in the lateral trussed webs. The Code for Action in Bridges.11
segment without joints because of its pre-stressing strands were previously
complex design. Thus, the construction located and tensioned. In the fourth The static test was conducted on load-
has been made in five stages, which are construction step, the transverse ribs ing the whole footbridge with the 60%

Structural Engineering International 1/2014 Technical Report 103

 Wood strips
Packages of
steel bars
Electrowelded wire mesh

Fig. 5: Electrowelded wire mesh placement (left) and static load test
Fig. 4: Placement of steel bar packages and wood strips overview (right)

of the characteristic live load, which ravine in Alicante, Spain. The whole Challenges and Opportunities, Guimaraes, 19–21
means applying a uniform load of 3 design intended to take full advan- September; 2012.
KN/m2 over the whole footbridge. tage of the mechanical properties of [7] López JA, Serna P, Camacho E, Navarro J.
For this purpose, packages of steel UHPFRC such us high strength, ductil- Análisis experimental de una celosia plana para
bars and electrowelded wire mesh of ity, high-limit tensile strain, flowability, la verificación del diseño de la pasarela sobre el
2 t each were used. They were placed fine and ultra-fine particles or dura- Barranco de las Ovejas (Alicante). 3º Congreso
Iberoamericano sobre hormigón autocompac-
over several wood strips, which were bility. Using this criterion, it has been tante, Madrid, 3–4 Diciembre; 2012
directly supported on the deck slabs possible to build a footbridge with a
to control the load application points. total dead load of only 5 KN/m2, which [8] Camacho E, López JA, Serna P.
Characterization of UHPFRC with three differ-
The configuration of these elements maximises the possibilities of a conven-
ent levels of performance. Proceedings of the 3rd
along the footbridge can be seen in tional precasting company, keeps the International Symposium on UHPC, Kassel; 2012.
Figs. 4 and 5. By means of the 3D construction cost equal to the former
structural footbridge model, a dis- steel design, minimises maintenance [9] Payá J, Monzó J, Borrachero MV. FC3R:
An excellent mineral by-product for improving
placement of 39 mm at mid span was costs and achieves a greater improve- early-strength development of cement mixtures.
expected. One hour after completing ment in aesthetics and service life. Cement Conc. Res. 1999; 29: 1773–1779.
the loading process, a deflection of
[10] López JA, Serna P, Camacho E, Navarro J.
only 30 mm was measured at the mid
span. It shows good structural foot-
Acknowledgements Construction of the U-shaped truss footbridge
over the Ovejas river in Alicante. 2nd International
bridge behaviour. This work has been developed under both Symposium on UHFPRC, September 2013.
“FIBAC” and “FISNE” research proj-
In order to carry out the dynamic load [11] IAP2011. Instrucción sobre las acciones a
ects, with references BIA2009-12722 and
test, it was necessary to agree with the BIA2012-35776, supported by the Spanish
considerar en el proyecto de puentes de carretera.
contracting authority the load cases. Spain: Ministerio de Fomento; 2011.
Ministry of Science and Innovation. Support
The traffic expected for the footbridge for this project is gratefully acknowledged.
consists of small pedestrian groups, The authors also wish to thank Generalitat SEI Data Block
with possible large groups, but low Valenciana and the Spanish Ministry of
probability of full bridge loading. It was Education, Culture and Sport for its FPU
Owner:
ensured that in all proposed load cases scholarship program.
City Council of Alicante and Generali-
the service footfall forces do not induce tat Valenciana
excessive vibrations. An accelerometer References Design:
was arranged in the deck at mid span Universtitat Politècnica de València
to register the acceleration induced for [1] SETRA-AFGC. Ultra High Performance
and ICOSA Ingeniería Civil S.A.
each load. According to Ref. [11], the Fiber Reinforced Concretes. Interim
maximum acceleration must be lower Reccomendations; 2002. Contractor:
U.T.E Vias y Construcciones S.A.—
than 2,5 m/s2. The results showed that [2] Walraven J. On the way to international design
recommendations for Ultra High Performance
Tarancón Infraestructuras S.L. and
the acceleration values do not exceed 1 Prevalesa S.L.
m/s2 when groups of people walk along Fibre Reinforced Concrete. Proceedings of the 3rd
International Symposium on UHPC, Kassel; 2012. Structural
the footbridge. Values closed to 2 m/
s2 were obtained when a large group [3] Blais PY, Couture M. Precast, prestressed system: Simple supported beam
of people crossed the footbridge, run- pedestrian bridge – world’s first reactive powder Span (m): 43,5
ning. After dynamic tests, a first vertical concrete structure. PCI J 1999; 44(5): 60–71.
Deck width (m): 3
vibration mode of 2,4 Hz was obtained, [4] Walraven J. High performance fiber rein-
similar to that obtained by the finite forced concrete: progress in knowledge and Span to depth ratio: 1/21
element model. design codes. Mater. Struct. 2009; 42: 1247–1260. 3
Greenish grey concrete (m ): 22,7
[5] López JA, Serna P, Camacho E, Navarro J. 3
Structural design and preliminary calculations of a Light brown concrete (m ): 4,0
Conclusions UHPFRC truss footbridge. Proceedings of the 3rd Steel (t): 5,3
International Symposium on UHPC, Kassel; 2012.
Pre-stressing steel (t): 2,0
A 43,5 m span U-shaped truss foot- [6] López JA, Serna P, Camacho E, Navarro J.
bridge made only of UHPFRC has Preliminary calculations and casting stages of a Estimated cost (EUR): 185 000
been successfully designed and con- UHPFRC truss footbridge. RILEM International Service date: July 2013
structed to be located over the Ovejas Symposium on Fibre Reinforced Concrete:

104 Technical Report Structural Engineering International 1/2014