“Our goal with this project is to demonstrate how UHPC can be used in underground environments that would otherwise be deleterious to steel H-pile foundations,” says Hannah Tzabari, Technical Service Engineer for Smart-UP.
“As UHPC gains popularity in the United States, ALDOT funded this project to develop an application that could be used in Alabama.”
Why UHPC?
Previous state DOT research projects have found that piles made with UHPC minimize drivability challenges, extend service life, and reduce maintenance costs. Because of its excellent durability, high compressive strength and tensile characteristics, UHPC piles
could enhance the efficiency of a foundation by reducing the number needed in a pile group.
For the Alabama test project, shapes and dimensions of the UHPC H-piles mimicked standard steel shapes used by ALDOT, with a few modifications to fully utilize UHPC’s impressive compressive strength.