OFFICE OF FFICE OF INFRASTRUCTURE STRUCTURE R&D

The Office of Infrastructure Research and Development (R&D) continually improves infrastructure-related

technology through research, development, and testing; through an outreach process to identify future targets of

opportunity; and with the pursuit of advanced research initiatives. It supports program offices and the resource 

center in the development of near-term Research, Development, and Technology (RD&T) program plans and 

projects; demonstration field tests of technologies; and evaluation of customer needs, acceptance, and benefits of 

new infrastructure-related products.

SUPERPAVE

Superior Performing Asphalt Pavements (SUPERPAVE®) is a new mixture design and analysis system that will produce more durable, longer

lasting asphalt pavements. It was initially developed under the Strategic

Highway Research Program (SHRP) and is now being refined, validated, and implemented by the Federal Highway Administration

(FHWA). FHWA has developed testing procedures; refined equipment; conducted a national pooled-fund equipment 

purchase; developed training materials and conducted training courses;

and organized hundreds of workshops, meetings, and seminars 

concerning this new technology. Forty-nine States have adopted the

SUPERPAVE binder specifications. Thirty States have adopted the

SUPERPAVE mixture design specifications.

HIPERPAV

The High-Performance Paving system (HIPERPAVTM) is a userfriendly computer program for preventing uncontrolled cracking in

new concrete pavements. The program enables engineers to consider

and avoid potential construction problems and to reduce the number

of early-age pavement distresses. This leads to increased long-term

pavement performance, improved life-cycle costs, and reduced highway user delays due to maintenance and repair. HIPERPAV ITM

(early-age behavior of jointed plain concrete pavements, JPCP) was

developed under a research contract and implemented through a

series of field trials and workshops. HIPERPAV IITM (HIPERPAV I

plus long-term behavior of JPCP and early-age behavior of continuously reinforced concrete pavements, CRCP) was developed under a

second research study, and implementation is underway.

High-Performance Bridge Materials Testing 

The FHWA Structures Laboratory has been instrumental in testing

and accelerating implementation of high-performance, steel bridge

materials with the goals of delivering steel bridges that are easier to

construct and that are less susceptible to fractures and corrosion. A

new class of high-performance steel (HPS) has been developed to

improve the quality, durability, and cost efficiency of steel bridges. In

partnership with the U.S. Navy and the American Iron and Steel

Institute, FHWA implemented a highly successful steel development

program that resulted in three new steel grades with improved weldability, fracture resistance, and corrosion resistance. To date, over 140

bridges have been constructed nationwide using HPS and hundreds

more are under construction. HPS enables designers to use longer

span lengths and lighter girders, resulting in substantial cost savings

for many jobs. Cost savings as high as 10 percent have been documented in some cases. In addition, the properties of HPS promise to

increase durability and help reduce future maintenance costs for

these structures. Since its inception, use of HPS continues to grow

nationwide and is rapidly becoming the material of choice for many

bridge applications.

Ultra High-Performance Concrete for Bridges

One of FHWA's highest priorities is to develop and promote construction materials that are stronger and more durable for replacing

or rehabilitating deteriorating bridges. The next generation of highperformance concrete, known as ultra high-performance concrete

(UHPC), is currently being evaluated at the Turner-Fairbank

Highway Research Center (TFHRC) Structures Laboratory. UHPC

is a steel fiber-reinforced reactive powder concrete that can typically

reach a compressive strength of 200 MPa (30 ksi), which is more

than twice that of any high-performance concrete used to date for

U.S. bridge construction. Other distinctive advantages of this material include little or no post-cure creep or shrinkage, no mild reinforcement requirements, and significantly increased durability. The program includes testing to failure of a 70-foot-long, single span UHPC

bridge. This concept bridge was built utilizing innovative precast 

sections that integrate girder and deck elements into an 8-foot-wide,

70-foot-long member. This enabled a complete bridge to be erected

in less than two hours.

Horizontally-Curved Steel Girder Bridges

A landmark research study is underway at FHWA to develop modern

design and construction methodologies for horizontally-curved steel

bridges. Curved structures are an essential tool for accommodating

complex roadway alignments in areas with restricted right-of-way

access. A full size curved girder bridge has been erected and is 

currently undergoing extensive testing at the FHWA Structures

September 2004

www.tfhrc.gov

Federal Highway Administration • Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
Laboratory. This is the largest, most extensive bridge test ever performed in the United States. Experimental testing, combined with

advanced computer simulation technology, has formed the basis for a

complete revision of the American Association of State Highway and

Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) steel bridge design specifications. The new specifications have simplified design methodology,

improved design efficiency, and promise to reduce fabrication and

erection problems for curved steel bridges. This work is making a 

significant improvement in practice that will benefit all steel bridge

construction across the country. 

Nondestructive Evaluation of Bridges

The Nondestructive Evaluation Validation Center at the TurnerFairbank Highway Research Center is developing new technologies

for the inspection of bridges. This includes the development of the

next generation of ground-penetrating radar technologies for the

assessment of concrete bridge decks, improved ultrasonic methods,

new thermal imaging systems, and advanced applications of nuclear

methods for nondestructive evaluation. The Center is also developing

new instrumentation and methods to measure stress in steel and prestressed concrete bridges, deflection measurement technologies for

load rating of bridges, and crack detection techniques to monitor the

health and safety conditions of bridge structures in support of asset

management.

Earthquake Protective Systems

Bridge engineers have continually sought an alternative seismic

design philosophy that avoids or limits damage to bridge elements.

One promising approach in limiting damage to bridge columns due

to moderate ground motions is the use of seismic isolation systems.

An FHWA testing program was developed and executed to provide

bridge engineers and owners with credible information on static and

dynamic performance, and on the selection and quality of the available seismic isolation and energy dissipation systems. FHWA experts

provided much-needed technical assistance to bridge engineers in

Turkey and Taiwan during their recovery efforts.

National Bridge Coatings Qualification Testing

Program

AASHTO recently launched the first national qualification testing

program for bridge coating materials. This was done through the

AASHTO National Transportation Product Evaluation Program

(NTPEP). This program provides a level testing playing field for the

testing of commercial paints and coatings products. The data is 

collected in an online data mine with access given to all State bridge

owners. For the first time, product choices and decisions directly

affecting the durability of steel structures will be made nationwide

using a common data set. FHWA staff and the TFHRC Coatings

Laboratory have directly supported the formation and implementation of this program. The Coatings Laboratory has assisted in 

developing appropriate test protocols and evaluation criteria, and 

personnel have served as oversight for the various commercial testing

laboratories that perform the bulk of the routine testing. The

Coatings Laboratory also has developed improved evaluation 

techniques and conducted round robin testing of materials to set

benchmarks for the program. Use of the data generated by this program is expected to have a significant impact on the quality of coating

materials supplied for painting bridges nationwide. 

Scour Evaluations for Woodrow Wilson Bridge

The TFHRC Hydraulics Laboratory and FHWA hydraulics specialists

from the Resource Center worked with the design team, led by the

Maryland State Highway Administration, to apply the latest technology

available for estimating scour at the piers proposed for the replacement

Woodrow Wilson Bridge. This structure is the only federally owned

Interstate bridge in the United States, and is a major mobility link for

North-South transportation for the I-95 corridor.

LTPPBind

LTPPBind is a new software tool developed by the Long-Term

Pavement Performance (LTPP) team to help highway agencies select the

most suitable and cost-effective Superpave Performance Grade (PG) for

a particular site. Based on the original binder selection software,

SHRPBind, LTPPBind features a database of high and low air temperatures (minimum, mean, maximum, standard deviation, and number of

years) for 7,835 U.S. and Canadian weather stations, along with several

modifications to the initial SHRP methodology that provide users with

the ability to: (1) select PGs based on actual temperature conditions at

their site and the level of risk designated by their highway agency, 

(2) use either the original SHRP models or LTPP's revised temperature models for determining a site's binder PG, and (3) adjust the

PG selection for different levels of traffic loading and speed.

DataPave Online

DataPave Online is a simple, user-friendly web application that contains all LTPP releasable data. These data include inventory, materials

testing, pavement performance monitoring, climatic, traffic, maintenance, rehabilitation, and seasonal testing data from more than

2,500 pavement test sections at 932 locations on inservice highways

throughout North America. http://www.datapave.com/

Distress Identification Manual

This manual was developed to provide a consistent, uniform basis for 

collecting distress data for the LTPP program. It provides a common 

language for describing cracks, potholes, rutting, spalling, and other 

pavement distresses being monitored by the LTPP program. The manual

is divided into three sections, each focusing on a particular type of pavement: (1) asphalt concrete-surfaced, (2) jointed portland cement concrete,

and (3) continuously reinforced portland cement concrete. Each distress

is clearly labeled, described, and illustrated. Distress Identification Manual

for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program can be found at

http://www.tfhrc.gov/pavement/ltpp/reports/03031/index.htm 

FHWA-HRT-04-118

HRTS-01/09-04(3M)E