F H WA
UHPC Link Slabs:
A Simple Solution
to Retrofit Bridges
to Eliminate Joints
by Dr. David Garber, Federal Highway Administration
When compared with conventional concrete, phase of more widespread adoption of UHPC eliminate deck joints between simple spans to help
ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has involved preservation and repair activities, extend the service life of existing bridges. The high
offers enhanced mechanical and durability and has been supported through the Federal tensile strength and post-cracking strain capacity,
properties that make it an ideal material for Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day high bond strength, and decreased splice lengths
use in the construction, repair, and preserva- Counts program. UHPC link slabs were identi- for embedded reinforcement make UHPC an
tion of highway bridges. Early widespread fied as one of the most promising applications ideal material for link slabs. UHPC link slabs are
adoption of UHPC began with connections of UHPC for preservation and repair.1 typically designed to be only partial depth, often
between prefabricated concrete bridge ele- A link slab creates a continuous slab in the 4 in. deep, and only a few feet long.
ments. UHPC has a high bond strength with longitudinal direction by using a partial- or full- Link-slab design is different than the design
conventional concrete substrates and high depth slab running between adjacent simple spans of conventional reinforced concrete elements,
tensile strength, resulting in shortened de- that is designed to accommodate the end rotation where an element is designed to resist applied
velopment and splice lengths, which makes of the girders without introducing moment con- loads. The demand on a link slab is generated
it an ideal material for connections. The next tinuity between spans. Link slabs can be used to from the total girder end rotations from the ad-
Figure 1. Typical ultra-high-performance concrete link-slab configuration for retrofitting a precast concrete beam bridge with a
composite cast-in-place deck superstructure to eliminate deck joints. All Figures: Federal Highway Administration.
58 | ASPIRE Spring 2024
National Concrete Bridge Council
A recent FHWA report, Ultra-High
Performance Concrete (UHPC) Link Slab Design
Example, presents a design example for a UHPC
link slab.2 The example illustrates the step-by- Prestressed Concrete
Bridge Seminar
step process of designing link slabs to replace the
expansion joints on a four-span superstructure.
The example is for a steel simple-span composite
bridge containing traditional expansion joints, Concepts for Extending Spans
but the same design principles and process would Workshop presented by the National Concrete
be applicable to a prestressed concrete simple- Bridge Council (NCBC) in cooperation with
span composite bridge. Construction details are the Georgia Department of Transportation
provided for the existing structure and link-slab and Federal Highway Administration
design. Calculations are provided to determine
the longitudinal horizontal loads for the struc-
ture to evaluate the effect of the link slabs on the
April 24–25, 2024
existing substructure and foundation elements.
The redesign of the bearings is also included, and
Crowne Plaza Atlanta Midtown
the procedure for accounting for thermal effects 590 West Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308
and shrinkage in the link-slab design is provided.
Additional details on previously constructed link Two industry experts, Dr. Reid Castrodale
slabs and the approaches used by several states and Dr. Rich Miller, along with other
for the design and implementation of link slabs industry experts, will give DOT profession-
are summarized by Thorkildsen3 and Ailaney.4 als, contractors, consulting engineers, and
jacent spans occurring after link slab installation: The FHWA link-slab design example is a other industry professionals the opportuni-
θT = θ1 + θ2 for a configuration like that shown valuable resource to bridge owners and bridge
in Fig. 1, where θ1 is the girder end rotation designers looking for a simple and innova-
ty to learn more about topics from relevant
from span 1, and θ2 is the girder end rotation tive solution to retrofit deteriorated or leaking industry best practices including the new
from span 2. The primary design assumption for bridge deck joints and preserve the superstruc- PCI Bridge Design Manual, 4th Edition, 1st
UHPC link slabs is that the center of rotation at ture and substructure elements below them. Release.
the end of the girder moves from the top of the Experts will cover topics such as prestress
bearing, before installation of the link slab, to the References (pretensioned and post-tensioned) losses
centroid of the UHPC link slab, after installation 1. Haber, Z. B., A. Foden, M. McDonagh, and relevant guidance for the design
of the link slab (Fig. 1). This assumption allows J. M. Ocel, K. Zmetra, and B. A. and construction of long-span precast,
for the link slab to be designed for only rotation, Graybeal. 2022. Design and Construction prestressed concrete bridges. These topics
not axial demand (other than thermal effects and of UHPC-Based Bridge Preservation and
shrinkage). Link slabs are debonded from the Repair Solutions. FHWA-HRT-22-065.
will be directed toward engineers with
girders or composite deck to allow the demand Washington, DC: Federal Highway several years of bridge design experience.
from end rotations to be evenly distributed over Administration (FHWA). [Link]
the debonded length of the link slab. This results .[Link]/publications/research/infra-
in an average curvature over the debonded structure/structures/bridge/22065/22065
length of the link slab ψavg that is equal to the .pdf.
total rotation from both spans θT divided by the 2. Garber, D., M. McDonagh, G. Sakellos,
debonded length LDB : ψavg = θT ∕LDB . C. Chong, J. Ocel, and B. Graybeal. 2023.
The link-slab thickness h, debonded length Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC)
LDB , and longitudinal reinforcement As are de- Link Slab Design Example. FHWA-RC-23-
signed to resist this “applied” average curvature 0004. Washington, DC: FHWA. https://
ψavg. Service I, Fatigue I, and Strength I limit [Link]/view/dot/72955.
states are checked in the design process, includ- 3. Thorkildsen, E. 2020. Case Study:
ing the effects of shrinkage and thermal defor- Eliminating Bridge Joints with Link Slabs— To register, sign in or
mations. The bearings must be designed for the An Overview of State Practices. FHWA- create a new record.
additional translation caused by the shift in the HIF-20-062. Washington, DC: FHWA.
center of end rotation (Fig. 1). The substruc- h t t p s : / / w w w. f h w a . d o t . g ov / b r i d g e
ture must be designed for additional horizontal /preservation/docs/[Link].
Total PDH credit for both days is 14.5 hours.
forces caused by the connectivity across the su- 4. Ailaney, R. 2021. “Eliminating Bridge PCI has met the standards and requirements of
perstructure created by the installation of the Joints with Link Slabs.” ASPIRE 15 the Registered Continuing Education Program
link slabs at any supports or bearing types that (3): 46–47. [Link] (RCEP). Credit earned on completion of this pro-
can transfer horizontal forces to the substruc- com/magazine/2021Summer/FHWA gram will be reported to RCEP.
ture. -[Link].
NCBC members providing resources and
instruction at this event are ASBI, PCI, and PTI.
To register, sign in, or create a new record.
[Link]/April24BridgeSeminar
Registration ends April 1, 2024
