## 7 Summary of Findings and Conclusions  
The standard design concept for CRCP in Belgium has been revised through several modifications regarding the amount of longitudinal steel, slab thickness, presence of asphalt interlayer, and steel depth for the purpose of eliminating the non-uniformity in the transverse crack pattern. However, CRCPs constructed following the current standard design concept exhibit the transverse crack pattern along with low mean crack spacing and a high percentage of narrowly spaced crack clusters. To induce the transverse crack over the designated locations in CRCP, the new active crack control method in form of the transverse partial surface saw-cuts was firstly adopted on the CRCP sections in the reconstruction project of the Motorway E313 in Belgium. The regular field observations have revealed that saw-cut depth significantly influences the effectiveness of early-age crack induction in CRCP.  
The main purpose of the present study is to evaluate the effect of different saw-cut depths and saw-cut lengths on the early-age crack induction in CRCPs. The early-age crack induction in CRCP under the external varying temperature field condition is evaluated. The results obtained from the FE models are compared and discussed with the available field observations of crack developments on CRCP sections in Belgium. It is found that the deeper saw-cut with longer cut-lengths can significantly decrease the percentage of closely spaced cracks and clusters cracks in CRCPs. It acts as the most effective active crack control method to induce cracks over the designated locations of the concrete slab than the shallower saw-cut. This fact is also supported by the development of the largest maximum tensile stress over the tips of deeper saw-cut along the length of concrete slab. The saw-cut length also significantly influences the crack initiation and crack propagation. By increasing the saw-cut length, the stress development over the tips decreases, which may reduce the potential risk of punch-out in the outer lane of the pavement slab.  
It may be concluded that the deeper saw-cut with longer cut-lengths can be beneficial for achieving the more regular spaced crack pattern in active crack control sections of CRCP. However, preventive measures should be made to take care of the problems related the steel corrosion. In advance of costly field trials, these findings could be used as general guidelines in choosing the appropriate depth and length of the partial surface saw-cut for inducing the transverse cracks over the designated location in the CRCP pavement system. This crack induction concept for CRCP is adopted in just a few regions around the world and very limited literature is available. Therefore, more in depth experimental as well as numerical studies are needed to look into the problem to develop a more rational solution.  
Conceptualization, M.K.; Writing--Original draft, M.K.; Supervision, H.D.B.; Writing--Review & editing, A.N., N.L., and P.D.W. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
The funding for this research along with the Article Processing Charges (APC) have been provided by Higher Education (HEC) of Pakistan under the grant of UESTP-HRDI initiative.  
In The corresponding author gratefully acknowledges financial support from Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.