Comprehensive evaluation of early‐age transverse cracking risk in durable <scp>RC</scp> deck slabs on multi‐span steel girder bridges considering thermal and stepwise construction stresses: A replication study with extension

Abstract This study replicates and extends the findings of Zerin et al. regarding the three‐level systematic FEM thermal stress simulation and Ngoc et al. on an effective stepwise construction strategy in the context of cracking mitigation in durable RC deck slabs on multi‐span steel girder bridges. The replications demonstrate the overall robustness of the original results and increase confidence in utilizing thermal and stepwise construction stresses for a more comprehensive evaluation of early‐age transverse cracking risk in highly durable RC deck slabs. Furthermore, the countermeasures proposed in this research are feasible for further reducing the risk.