Cracking of newly placed binary Portland cement-slag concrete adjacent to bridge deck expansion dam replacements has been\nobserved on several newly rehabilitated sections of bridge decks. This paper investigates the causes of cracking by assessing the\nconcrete mixtures specified for bridge deck rehabilitation projects, as well as reviewing the structural design of decks and the\nconstruction and curing methods implemented by the contractors. The work consists of (1) a comprehensive literature review of\nthe causes of cracking on bridge decks, (2) a review of previous bridge deck rehabilitation projects that experienced early-age\ncracking along with construction observations of active deck rehabilitation projects, and (3) an experimental evaluation of the two\nmost commonly used bridge deck concrete mixtures. Based on the literature review, the causes of concrete bridge deck cracking\ncan be classified into three categories: concrete material properties, construction practices, and structural design factors. The most\nlikely causes of the observed early-age cracking were found to be inadequate curing and failure to properly eliminate the risk\nof plastic shrinkage cracking. These results underscore the significance of proper moist curing methods for concrete bridge decks,\nincluding repair sections. This document also provides a blueprint for future researchers to investigate early-age cracking of concrete\nstructures.
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