Doctoral student Sam Keske and faculty members Robert Barnes and Anton Schindler have conducted research to evaluate a new type of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) for the Alabama Department of Transportation. It has not been previously used for bridge girders in the state of Alabama.

SCC resembles a stable fluid when poured in a formwork and then hardens like traditional concrete. Advantages of SCC include its ease of placement, decreased construction cost, reduced construction noise and improved formed surface finish. Auburn researchers have completed several evaluative programs during a five-year period, which culminated in the production of full-scale bridge girders at Hanson Pipe & Precast of Pelham, Ala. The girders have since been used in a new bridge spanning Hillabee Creek near Alexander City, Ala. Keske and the team have been monitoring the girder behavior and will test the bridge under its full, expected load to confirm that the SCC girders perform as well as traditional girders.