Multi-Step Procedure for Predicting Early-Age Thermal Cracking Risk in Mass Concrete Structures.

Early-age cracking in mass concrete structures resulting from thermal stress is a well-documented phenomenon that impacts their functionality, durability, and integrity. The primary cause of these cracks is the uneven temperature rise within the structure due to the exothermic nature of cement hydration. Assessing the likelihood of cracking involves comparing the tensile strength or strain capacity of the concrete with the stresses or strains experienced by the structure.

Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of Mass Concrete Foundation Slabs at Early Age-Essential Aspects and Experiences from the FE Modelling.

In this paper, the focus is placed on essential aspects of finite element modelling of thermo-mechanical behaviour of massive foundation slabs at early ages. Basic decision-making issues are discussed in this work: the potential need to explicitly consider the casting process in the modelling, the necessary size of the underlying soil to be modelled and the size of the FE mesh, and the need of considering daily changes of the environmental temperature and the temperature distribution over the depth of the soil. Next, the contribution of shrinkage to early age stresses, the role of the reinforcement, and the type of mechanical model are investigated.