Date of Completion

Summer 5-23-2026

Thesis Advisor(s)

Alexandra Hain; Shinae Jang

Honors Major

Civil Engineering

Disciplines

Civil Engineering

Abstract

Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) has shown promise in bridge rehabilitation broadly, but its application to steel gusset plate repair represents a novel use case with limited prior research. Therefore, when the Commodore Isaac Hull Bridge in Derby, Connecticut, was issued an emergency declaration due to gusset plate section loss, a UHPC repair was implemented. This project represented the first known field implementation of this type of UHPC gusset plate repair, marking a significant advancement in the rehabilitation of deteriorated steel bridge components. To support long-term performance assessment and ensure the success of the repair, field monitoring efforts were also incorporated by UConn and CTDOT to evaluate the behavior of the repaired structure under service conditions over time. Rather than focusing on definitive results, this paper emphasizes the development and refinement of the data collection system, the construction of a SolidWorks geometric model of the repaired section for future finite element simulations, and the understanding derived from the resulting challenges. Included are the efficiency improvements over six site visits and the difficulty of working with large scale engineering plans and unfamiliar software for the first time. The research remains ongoing with directions and plans outlined throughout.

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