Concrete
cracking affects the
durability and the mechanical behaviour of steel-concrete
composite bridges. In
bridges that are continuous over intermediate supports,
direct loads produce large tensile forces in the slab that can lead to concrete
cracking even under permanent loads. In addition heavy traffic loads can also
induce concrete cracking. The
influence of concrete cracking on the behaviour
of bridge must be carefully studied. Two - the
influence of cracking on the durability of the slab, that is the capacity of
the slab to withstand environmental influences without deterioration of
material properties, - the influence of cracking on
the mechanical behaviour of the
composite bridge, that is the relationship
between the applied actions, stiffness, crack widths and the redistribution of
internal forces.