Title:
Factors Affecting Bridge Deck Cracking: Crack-Reducing Technologies, Paste Content, and Construction Practices
Author(s):
Muzai Feng, David Darwin, and Rouzbeh Khajehdehi
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
123
Issue:
1
Appears on pages(s):
11-26
Keywords:
bridge deck; consolidation; construction practices; crack-reducing technologies; cracking; fiber-reinforced concrete; internal curing (IC); lightweight aggregate; shrinkage-reducing admixtures (SRAs)
DOI:
10.14359/51749246
Date:
1/1/2026
Abstract:
Crack densities obtained from on-site surveys of 74 bridge deck placements containing concrete mixtures with paste contents between 22.8 and 29.4% are evaluated. Twenty of the placements were constructed with a crack-reducing technology (shrinkage-
reducing admixtures, internal curing, or fiber reinforcement) and 54 without; three of the decks with fiber reinforcement and nine of the decks without crack-reducing technologies involved poor construction practices. The results indicate that using a concrete mixture with a low paste content is the most effective way to reduce bridge deck cracking. Bridge decks with paste contents exceeding 27.3% had a significantly higher crack density than decks with lower paste contents. Crack-reducing technologies can play a role in reducing cracking in bridge decks, but they must be used in conjunction with a low-paste-content concrete and good construction practices to achieve minimal cracking in a deck. Failure to follow proper procedures to consolidate, finish, or cure concrete will result in bridge decks that exhibit increased cracking, even when low paste contents are used.
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