Precast bridge deck panels can be used in place of a cast-in-place concrete deck to reduce bridge closure times for deck replacements or new bridge construction. The panels are prefabricated at a precasting plant providing optimal casting and curing conditions, which should result in highly durable decks. Precast panels can be either full-depth or partial-depth. Partial-depth panels act as a stay-in-place form for a cast-in-place concrete topping. This study investigated only the behavior of full-depth precast panels. The research described in this report had two primary objectives. The first was to develop a performance specification for the grout that fills the haunch between the top of the beam and the bottom of the deck panel, as well as the horizontal shear connector pockets and the panel-to-panel joints. Tests were performed using standard or modified ASTM tests to determine basic material properties on eight types of grout. The grouts were also used in tests that approximated the conditions in a deck panel system. Based on these tests, requirements for shrinkage, compressive strength, and flow were established for the grouts. It was more difficult to establish a test method and an acceptable performance level for adhesion, an important property for the strength and durability of the deck panel system. The second objective was to quantify the horizontal shear strength of the connection between the deck panel and the beam prestressed concrete beams. This portion of the research also investigated innovative methods of creating the connection. Push-off tests were conducted using several types of grout and a variety of connections. These tests were used to develop equations for the horizontal shear strength of the details. Two promising alternate connections, the hidden pocket detail and the shear stud detail, were tested for constructibility and strength. The final outcome of this study a set of recommendations for the design, detailing, and construction of the connection between full-depth precast deck panels and prestressed concrete I-beams. If designed and constructed properly, the deck panel system is an excellent option when rapid bridge deck construction or replacement is required.

Full-depth precast panels are used in concrete bridges to provide several benefits such as faster construction, lower cost and reduced constructional hazard. However, one construction drawback is that connectors are required to transmit horizontal shear across the interface between the girder and deck. Shear connector performance is characterized by a series of experiments performed on part of a bridge system that mimics a full-depth precast deck on concrete girder with a pocket-connector-haunch system. Following initial breakaway of the adhesive bond within the haunch region, the specimens slide with frictional resistance provided by the clamping force of the anchor bolt. This leads to bolt yield with an observed sliding friction coefficient of 0.8 (+/- 20%) with lower values occurring at higher displacements. It is concluded that for a viable connector system to be developed a key feature is to have sufficient stirrups in the neighborhood of the anchor bolt to form a non-contact splice and to ensure the high pull-out force can be sustained without leading to premature beam failure. The successful implementation of a full-depth precast deck-panel system requires the use of a viable design methodology that properly accounts for system behavior. The design of a deck-haunch-girder system uses a truss modeling approach to design for the shear forces created by service loading. The truss model approach is considered more suitable for a concrete member due to the premise that the member will be substantially cracked at an ultimate limit state and that traditional beam theory does not account for the decreased ability of shear stresses to transfer across open cracks. Experimental results from Chapter II, such as the friction coefficient mu, are used along with a previously developed crack angle model to layout the geometry of the truss within a deck-panel span. Design solutions are presented utilizing the Rock Creek Bridge in Parker County, Texas as an example structure.

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