Modelling of early age thermal cracking in hardening concrete, including creep and softening behavior

Title: Modelling of early age thermal cracking in hardening concrete, including creep and softening behavior
Author(s): G. De Schutter
Paper category : conference
Book title: International RILEM Conference on Early Age Cracking in Cementitious Systems
Editor(s): K. Kovler and A. Bentur
Print-ISBN: 2-912143-29-2
e-ISBN: 2351580362
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 2003
Pages: 31 - 38
Total Pages: 8
Nb references: 11
Language: English

Abstract: Massive concrete elements are prone to early age thermal cracking due to the heat of hydration. The service life of the element can be severely reduced by the presence of thermal cracks. It is thus extremely important to control the early age thermal cracking. A three-dimensional finite element simulation procedure, based on a the degree of hydration as a fundamental parameter, is developed. By means of experimental research the relation between thermal and mechanical properties of the hardening concrete and the degree of hydration has been studied in detail. Thermal and mechanical properties can be modelled by means of simple relationships. A fundamental influence of the degree of hydration on the basic creep of the hardening concrete has also been found, as well as on the fracture energy. In a staggered thermal cracking analysis, first the temperature fields are calculated, after which the mechanical simulation is executed. The time dependent material behaviour is implemented by means of a degree of hydration based Kelvin chain. The cracking behaviour is simulated using a smeared cracking concept with non-linear softening, using material properties also depending on the degree of hydration. The results of the model are verified experimentally.

Online publication: 2010-06-02
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00