Deformation due to Temperature Change

• Except under extreme climate conditions, ordinary

concrete structures generally suffer little or no
distress from changes in ambient temperatures
• In mass structures
– Increase in concrete T within a few days after placing due to
• heat produced by cement hydration
• poor heat dissipation
– subsequent cooling to the ambient temperature often cause
the concrete to crack (thermal cracking)
 Shrinkage due to Temperature Change
(Example)
• Assume
– thermal expansion coefficient  = 10x10-6/oC
– temperature rise from heat of cement hydration T = 15 oC
– elastic modulus E of concrete = 20GPa
– concrete member is fully restrained (Kr =1)

• Then
– thermal shrinkage  caused by a 15 oC temperature drop
=  T = 150x10-6
– cooling would produce tensile stress of E = 3 MPa if
concrete is fully restrained
– tensile strength of concrete at early ages is usually less than
3 MPa, concrete is likely to crack
 Factors Affecting Thermal Stresses
HARDENED CONCRETE CRACKING
•Degree of restraint Kr

COOL COOL
Internal restraint
HOT
COOL (pile cap or raft)
COOL COOL
Tensile stresses

CONTRACTING ON COOLING
External restraint
(wall cast later over base)
Tensile stresses TENSILE STRESS
BASE RESTRAINT (COOL)
 Factors Affecting Thermal Stresses
• Temperature change T
– Cement hydration - exothermic, generates heat, increases
concrete temperature
– Heating causes expansion, and expansion under restraint
results in compressive stress (relatively low at early ages
because E is low)
– T is affected by
• placement temp of fresh concrete
• adiabatic temp rise
• temp drop due to heat loss
• ambient temp
– In order to reduce potential thermal cracking , reduce T
 Factors Affecting Thermal Stresses
• Placement temperature
– Reducing placement
temperature is one of the
best ways to avoid crack
• Use cooled mixing water
• Use crushed or flaked ice as
all or part of the required
mixing water
• Whenever possible, place
concrete in the coolest part
of the day
• Keep cement content as low (ACI Committee 207 report, 1986)
as possible
• Chill aggregate
 Factors Affecting Thermal Stresses
• Adiabatic temperature rise
– Is a function of the amount, composition, and fineness of
cement, and its temperature during hydration
– Reduce adiabatic temperature rise reduces the risk of thermal
cracking
– Use Low heat cement (Type IV)
– Use fly ashes or slags

(Price 1982) (Carlson et al. 1979)

 Factors Affecting Thermal Stresses
• Heat loss
– is a function of the type of environment in immediate
contact with the concrete surface

(Mehta & Monteiro 1993)

• reduce heat loss on surface until concrete developed

sufficient strength