ACI Committees 441 – Reinforced Concrete Columns and 341A – Earthquake-Resistant Concrete Bridge Columns, Mohamed A. ElGawady Columns are crucial structural elements in buildings and bridges. This Special Publication of the American Concrete Institute Committees 441 (Reinforced Concrete Columns) and 341A (Earthquake-Resistant Concrete Bridge Columns) presents the state-of-the-art on the structural performance of innovative bridge columns. The performance of columns incorporating high-performance materials such as ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), engineered cementitious composite (ECC), high-strength concrete, high-strength steel, and shape memory alloys is presented in this document. These materials are used in combination with conventional or advanced construction systems, such as using grouted rebar couplers, multi-hinge, and cross spirals. Such a combination improves the resiliency of reinforced concrete columns against natural and man-made disasters such as earthquakes and blast.

The use of unstressed Grade 1860 (MPa) seven-wire steel strands as longitudinal reinforcement in columns has the advantage of reducing the cost of steel as compared with conventional Grade 420 (MPa) deformed steel bars. A preliminary experimental study was conducted to investigate the performance of a column with unstressed seven-wire strands as longitudinal reinforcement. Large-scale column specimens were designed and tested using double-curvature lateral cyclic loading under a constant axial load. Test results showed that the column with strands as longitudinal reinforcement (RH1) showed less and wider cracks and less energy dissipation than the column with deformed bars as longitudinal reinforcement (ORH1). Despite this, RH1 showed a slightly higher drift capacity than ORH1 even when the strands used in RH1 had a much lower ultimate strain than the deformed bars used in ORH1.

Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) technologies are being adopted by state transportation departments. One particular ABC technology is the use of precast concrete members joined with mechanical connectors. However, there are concerns about these connections in moderate-to-high seismic regions. A study was carried out for the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) on the seismic performance of precast columns with grouted couplers versus the conventional cast-in-place columns. Experimental data provided the necessary input to model the grouted couplers. Using the OpenSees finite element analysis program, selected bridges were subjected to the seismic conditions of the most seismically active location in Idaho. Under seismic conditions considered, the stresses in both the longitudinal reinforcing bars and the grouted coupler regions are found to be well within acceptable ranges. The study resulted in recommendations on allowable column drifts, a list of approved grouted rebar couplers, and typical detail drawings for inclusion in the ITD’s Bridge Manual.

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is an innovative material that exhibits high compressive and tensile strength as well as excellent durability. The provision of fibers in UHPC results in improved ductility and increased toughness when compared to conventional high-strength concrete. These properties make UHPC well-adapted for use in the columns of high-rise buildings and heavily-loaded bridges. This paper summarizes the results from a database of tests examining the effects of various design parameters on the axial load performance of UHPC columns. Experimental results illustrating the effects of concrete type (UHPC vs. high-strength and ultra-high-strength concrete), UHPC compressive strength and transverse reinforcement detailing are presented. The results show that the use of UHPC in columns resulted in increased load carrying capacity and post peak ductility when compared to conventional high-strength or ultra-high-strength concrete due to the ability of steel fibers to delay cover spalling. However, greater amounts of confinement reinforcement were required to achieve the same level of axial load performance as the UHPC compressive strength was increased from 150 to 180 MPa. The results also showed that the amount, spacing, and configuration of transverse reinforcement, as well as their interaction significantly affected the axial load response of UHPC columns. However, increasing the amount of transverse reinforcement had the most pronounced effect on post-peak behavior. The effect of the confinement provisions in current codes (CSA A23.3-14 and ACI-318-14) on the ductility of the UHPC columns was also investigated. Based on the results, an alternative confinement expression for achieving ductile behavior in UHPC columns was proposed.

This paper presents the results from tests examining the performance of high-strength concrete (HSC) and normal-strength concrete (NSC) columns subjected to blast loading. As part of the study six columns built with varying concrete strengths were tested under simulated blast loads using a shock-tube. In addition to the effect of concrete strength, the effects of longitudinal steel ratio and transverse steel detailing were also investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that the HSC and NSC columns showed similar blast performance in terms of overall displacement response, blast capacity, damage and failure mode. However, when considering the results at equivalent blasts, doubling the concrete strength from 40 MPa to 80 MPa (6 to 12 ksi) resulted in 10%-20% reductions in maximum displacements. On the other hand, increasing the longitudinal steel ratio from ρ = 1.7% to 3.4% was found to increase blast capacity, while also reducing maximum displacements by 40-50%. The results also show that decreasing the tie spacing (from d/2 to d/4, where d is the section depth) improved blast performance by reducing peak displacements by 20-40% at equivalent blasts. The use of seismic ties also prevented bar buckling and reduced the extent of damage at failure. As part of the analytical study the response of the HSC columns was predicted using single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) analysis. The resistance functions were developed using dynamic material properties, sectional analysis and a lumped inelasticity approach. The SDOF procedure was able to predict the blast response of HSC columns with reasonable accuracy, with an average error of 14%. A numerical parametric study examining the effects of concrete strength, steel ratio and tie spacing in larger-scale columns with 350 mm x 350 mm (14 in. x 14 in.) section was also conducted. The results of the numerical study confirm the conclusions from the experiments but indicate the need for further blast research on the effect of transverse steel detailing in larger-scale HSC columns.