Crack Width Control on Concrete Slab using Half-Depth Precast Panels with Loop Joints

As the half-depth precast concrete decks are increasingly applied to the construction sites, researches on connection details have been increased. For design of concrete bridge deck with half-depth precast panels, it is required to provide appropriate details of transverse loop joints between panels. In this paper, the structural performance of precast decks was evaluated to investigate continuity of the proposed loop joint details. From the results, the validity of the joints for the continuity of deck was observed in the aspect of flexural strength and crack control. The ultimate strength increased 1.52 times as the reinforcement spacing in the joint was reduced. In terms of crack control, direct crack width calculation for the loop joint showed appropriate results comparing with measured crack width.