FAIRBANK, Iowa (AP) — A bridge made with a new ultra-high performance concrete from Korea has been christened in Buchanan County.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the 52-foot-long Hawkeye UHPC Bridge near Fairbank was christened Tuesday.
Brent Phares, director of the Bridge Engineering Center at Iowa State University, says the ultra-high performance concrete used for the bridge is fairly new to the engineering scene. Engineers say the concrete has short strands of steel and is up to eight times stronger than a traditional mix.
David Lee a professor at the University of Iowa, which brought in the material, says the steel is a waste byproduct from the tire manufacturing industry.
Byung-Suk Kim, an engineer with the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, said structures like the new bridge may endure for 200 years, and is almost maintenance-free.
