Abstract:The ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is used to reinforce the ordinary concrete bridge decks. There is a relatively large restrictive contraction effect at the joint surface. To study the contraction mechanism, the time-varying formula for UHPC shrinkage is proposed, and the finite element model of constrained shrinkage of UHPC-concrete composite bridge decks is established. The numerical simulation has a high degree of agreement with the experimental data, verifying the accuracy of the finite element analysis. The further finite element analysis is conducted to study the stress-strain distribution rule in the composite bridge decks and the influence of different factors on the restraint effect of the joint surface. The results show that in the UHPC decks, the closer to the interface along the thickness direction, the stronger the restraint effect of ordinary concrete, the smaller the shrinkage strain, and the greater the restraint stress. The concrete strength, size effect, reinforcement ratio and UHPC deck thickness affect the mutual constraints at the interface by changing the relative stiffness of the structure.