UHPC: A Game-Changing Material for PCI Bridge Producers

TLDR: Inspired by Dura Technology founder and chief executive officer Yen Lei Voo, six PCI representatives in conjunction with the International Federation for Structural Concrete Task Group 6.5, Precast Concrete Bridges, took a TechnoQuest trip to Malaysia, where they investigated Voo's company.

Abstract: Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has become a prominent subject in the construction industry, and particularly the precast, prestressed concrete industry, for connections of components, as well as various pilot projects using prefabricated components. The well-documented and researched material characteristics of UHPC offer a new suite of bridge solutions that have yet to be fully implemented by PCI producers. Inspired by Dura Technology founder and chief executive officer Yen Lei Voo, six PCI representatives in conjunction with the fib (International Federation for Structural Concrete) Task Group 6.5, Precast Concrete Bridges, took a TechnoQuest trip to Malaysia, where they investigated Voo’s company. The purpose of the visit was to observe a facility solely focused on fabricating UHPC components for bridges and other heavy civil structures. The idiosyncrasies of the manufacturing facility illustrated many similarities to the current means and methods of fabrication in the United States by PCI bridge producers, aside from the material difference. The observations of the group, both in terms of means and methods as well as possible advantages for future endeavors in the United States, are presented.