Early Thermal Cracking in Concrete Explained [with Solved Example] - CivilDigital -
Early Thermal Cracking in Concrete Explained [with Solved Example] - CivilDigital -
Related Topics
Recent Posts
Contents
1 Concept of Early-age
Thermal Cracking
There are several factors that can influence ETC in concrete such as
1. temperature rise,
2. coefficient of thermal expansion of the concrete,
3. restraint to movement (internal / external)
4. ability of the concrete to resist tensile strain
The principle cause of Early Thermal Cracking is the release of Heat of Hydration from the
binder, usually cement paste in concrete. Heat of Hydration causes differential expansion
within the section leading to an internal restraint or an external restraint which will restrict
contraction during the cooling or curing. ETC can be evident in thinner sections within a few
days or casting. For thicker sections, it may take longer to develop cracks as the cooling is
gradual.
It is difficult to calculate the stresses developed during the early thermal cycle because of the
rapidly changing elastic modulus of concrete and altering influence of creep due to the young
age of the concrete and the accelerating effect of temperature, can cause significant relaxation
of induced stresses as shown in Figure. The compressive stresses resulting from external
restraint are unlikely to cause any cracking but if the tensile stresses are excessive, cracking
occurs.
It is generally assumed that for conditions of external restraint, compressive stresses induced
during the heating phase are entirely relieved by creep and tensile stresses are induced during
the cooling phase from starting from the time of the peak temperature (refer design
assumption line). To simplify the design process a strain based approach is assumed in which
the restrained tensile strain induced during the period of cooling from peak to ambient
temperature is compared with the tensile strain capacity of the concrete.
When differential temperature causes cracks in thick sections, due to internal restraint, the
assumptions employed will differ. Tensile strain at the surface may be caused by restrained
contraction (if formwork or insulation is removed letting rapid cooling of surface) or due to
expansion of the core of the section, which achieves a higher temperature rise and thermal
expansion than the surface. In both cases, for sufficient tension to develop at the surface,
compression must be developed at the centre of section. In this case the assumption that all
compressive stresses are relieved by creep is no longer conservative.
In some cases the restrained tensile strain developed may be insufficient to cause early age
thermal cracking but may contribute to strains that cause cracking in the longer term and it is
important to recognise the significance of these residual strains within the design process.
Inputs
1. Characteristic tensile strength of reinforcement, fy = 460 N/mm2
2. Characteristic cube strength of concrete, fcu = 40 N/mm2
3. Cement Content =400 kg/m3
4. Cement Type = OPC
5. Type of Bar =Type 2 deformed bars
6. Season Considered = winter
7. Formwork Material = 18mm Plywood
8. Restraint Condition = Wall cast onto base
9. Distance between PCJ or EJ = 14m
10. Thickness of section =501mm
11. Width of Section =1000 mm
12. Permissible crack width = 0.200mm
13. Short-term fall in temperature T1 = 53 oC
14. Long-term fall in temperature T2 = 0 oC
1. The ratio of tensile strength of immature concrete to average bond strength between
reinforcement and immature concrete, fct*/fb = 0.67
2. Restraint factor, R = 0.60
3. Ultimate tensile strain capacity of concrete, eult = 0.00020
4. Shrinkage Strain,esh = 0.00010
5. Coefficient of thermal expansion of concrete, a = 1.2E-05
6. Thermal Strain, = 0.8×0.000012(53+0) = 0.00051
References
CIRIA C660, Early-age thermal crack control in concrete
Civil Engineering Articles, Civil Engineering Articles for Mobile, Concrete Design
crack control, design, early-age behaviour, Early-age Thermal Cracking, reinforced concrete, reinforcement,
Shrinkage, thermal cracking
Rio Olympics Elevated Cycle Track Collapses; Struck by Waves
Foundation Engineering Concepts Quiz