Numerical analyses on flexural performance of prefabricated UHPC link slab

The expansion joints in the multi-span simply supported bridge can be eliminated by using the link slab. The ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) with high tensile strength and crack resistance is an effective material for the link slab. However, the cast-in-situ UHPC link slab need to be cured with steam curing. Therefore, the construction processes are complicated and the construction quality is difficult to guarantee. In this paper, the prefabricated UHPC link slab which can be assembled on site to simply the construction process, accelerate the construction speed and reduce the labor cost was proposed. Finite element models of the prefabricated and cast-in-situ UHPC link slabs under bending were built by using ABAQUS. The ultimate bearing capacity of the prefabricated link slab was nearly the same of the cast in situ and the crack resistance slightly lower. Finally, the influence of the bolt (used to connect the prefabricated link slab) number and the distance from the bolt to the edge of the link slab on the crack resistance and ultimate bearing capacity of the prefabricated link slab were obtained