FHWA Resource Center
STRUCTURES TEAM
SUBJECT:
Prestressed Concrete Committee for
Economic Fabrication (PCEF)
To: PCEF Members Reply Refer to: Resource Center at Baltimore
From: High Performance Structural Materials Specialist
Attached for your information is a copy of the attendance list and minutes
for the subject meeting, held on February 13, 2003 at the Holiday Inn
in Charleston, West Virginia. Also attached are copies of the updated
full committee and subcommittee membership lists. Individuals wishing
to have their name removed from any of the lists are asked to notify our
office as soon as possible.
We wish to thank
Mr. John Martin of the Virginia Department of Transportation for his outstanding
job of taking notes and completing the minutes in a very timely manner.
Hard copies of materials
will be mailed to appropriate individuals with a ** designation who do
not have an electronic mailing address. Individuals receiving the materials
either by hard copy or electronically are asked to distribute them in
a timely manner to others in their office on the mailing list.
Our appreciation
is also extended to the Subcommittee chairmen, to the presenters, and
to all attendees for their active participation in the meeting. Continued
status reports will be requested from each chairman at the next meeting.
The attached minutes
are supplemented as follows:
Self-Consolidating
Concrete (SCC):
Per questions from
Mr. Ramsburg’s presentation, we are requesting the following:
1) Results of permeability
testing of SCC
2) Results of any
studies on development length of prestressing strand when used in SCC
versus HPC or normal strength concrete for prestressed girders.
Status Report from
the States on Use of the PCEF Bulb-T:
We are very encouraged
by the rise in popularity of these shapes, as reported at the last meeting.
Increased use by the New York and Virginia DOTs, and the recent correspondence
between PennDOT and the state’s precast industry, are indications
of the dedication of Committee members towards regional quality, economy
and uniformity. Recent contacts made by a Maryland design consultant led
to responses by local precasters that the PCEF girder would be a more
efficient and economical alternative to the AASHTO girder.
Production/Construction
Issues:
Of interest to the
PCEF members would be that the PCI “Manual for the Repair of Precast,
Prestressed Concrete Bridge Beams and Deck Panels” has recently
been distributed for final review and balloting.
Design Parameters
Issues:
Although not solely
for HPC, the following questions were raised regarding State DOT practices
for designing prestressed concrete girders cast into integral abutments:
1) Is partial fixity
assumed at the end of the girder to more accurately simulate stresses
due to the integral abutment?
2) What software
is being used to design the girders for this condition?
Members are requested
to send any responses to our office, by phone, fax or email.
Also under this topic,
we request that the industry members of the Committee assess their positions
on a priority order in which to tackle the issues presented, as well as
any additional issues that need to be addressed. We would appreciate an
update from one of their spokesmen at the next PCEF meeting.
Standardization Issues:
1) A useful reference
for cross frames is the “Designers’ Guide to Cross Frame Diaphragms,”
which can be found at the following website:
www.steel.org/infrastructure/bridges/crossframe.htm
2) A useful reference
for continuity is being completed under NCHRP Project 12-53, “Connection
Between Simple-Span Precast Concrete Girders Made Continuous,” by
Dr. Richard Miller of the University of Cincinnati. The project is either
complete, or scheduled to be completed soon.
We have set the date for the next meeting for Wednesday, September 3,
2003, 9 AM, at the Maryland State Highway Administration’s District
7 Office (Training Room 2), 5111 Buckeystown Pike, Buckeystown, Maryland.
This is located off Exit 31 for Route 85 (Buckeystown Pike), near Frederick,
and south of I-70. Any questions about office location may be directed
to Susan, at 301-624-8201. The Hampton Inn is located on the same road,
and within walking distance of the SHA District Office. Reservations may
be made by calling 301-698-2500, for a single room rate of $75 plus tax.
Once again, we thank
the membership and their management for the support of this Committee’s
activities. Please feel free to submit any agenda topics to our office
by July 15, 2003.
Original signed
by,
Attachments Louis
N. Triandafilou, P.E.
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