Research and application of rapid reconstruction technology to existing bridge guardrails based on UHPC connection

Abstract

Abstract A novel prefabricated segmental guardrail is proposed to facilitate connections between guardrails and between guardrails and bridge decks by casting ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) joints in situ. Through finite element crash simulation analysis of three types of vehicles and crash tests of real vehicles, the prefabricated segmental guardrail with a UHPC connection was systematically evaluated in terms of its energy-absorbing capacity, vehicular acceleration, post-impact trajectory of the impacting vehicle, and behaviour of the guardrail upon impact. During the evaluation process, performance comparisons of the prefabricated segmental guardrails are made with the monolithic concrete guardrails. The results indicate that the performance of the prefabricated segmental guardrail with a UHPC connection was superior to that of the conventional concrete monolithic guardrails: it exhibited a higher level of crash performance, the occupants of the impacting vehicle were better protected, and the impacting vehicle exhibited better post-collision stability. Finally, the convenience of the prefabricated segmental guardrails with UHPC connections was proven in practical engineering applications.

Keywords

• UHPC connection
• Segmented prefabricated guardrails
• Rapid construction
• Finite element simulation
• Crash tests of real vehicles