COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF FLEXURAL CAPACITY CALCULATION METHODS FOR ULTRA HIGH PERFORMANCE CONCRETE GIRDERS: EXPERIMENTS, SIMULATIONS, AND STANDARDS

Abstract

The current study evaluates the flexural capacity of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) girders through numerical simulations, experimental data, and existing design standards from the United States, France, and Switzerland. Finite element analysis (FEA) models are developed in Abaqus and calibrated against experimental results to ensure their reliability. A comparative analysis of 41 girders with varying strength, reinforcement ratios, fiber content, and cross-sectional dimensions is conducted to assess the loading capacity of different calculation methods. The findings indicate that numerical simulations predict flexural capacity with a standard deviation of 18.5% to 33% lower than design standards, demonstrating greater consistency with experimental data. Design standards generally provide more conservative predictions, ensuring safety margins for practical applications. These results highlight the potential for refining current calculation methods to achieve a balance between accuracy and safety in UHPC structural design.