Abstract
There is an ongoing concern about premature cracking of concrete bridge decks. Bridge deck cracking reduces the service life of bridges and results in increased maintenance and replacement costs. Ideally, a deck should last as long as the support structure with minimal maintenance. However, bridge decks typically need to be replaced two or more times before the structure needs to be replaced. Such a differential in element service life is inefficient and costly and can cause unnecessary, repeated work zone hazards. This work aimed at assessing the benefits of using different types of lightweight fine aggregate (LWFA) in concrete mixtures to increase the probability of achieving crack-free, long-lasting bridge decks. A laboratory testing program was developed and conducted to address concerns specific to bridge decks. The laboratory testing led to the recommended mix design for implementation on a bridge construction project. Construction of the two bridge decks involved a control using a conventional mix design and the other containing slag cement and internal curing (IC). The decks were instrumented and inspected after construction and one year after placement. A life-cycle analysis was also conducted to assess feasibility of the recommendations.
Published Version
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