Prediction of Thermal Cracking During Construction of Massive Monolithic Structures

The problem of early crack formation caused by temperature stresses in hardening concrete is very relevant for massive monolithic reinforced concrete structures. The aim of the work is to develop a method for thermal cracking risk prediction during the construction of massive monolithic reinforced concrete structures. The innovation of the research consists in taking into account the dependence of the concrete elastic modulus and strength on the time and temperature of hardening. The significance of the study lies in analysis of methods for reducing the risk of early cracking using the example of a real structure. The object of the study is a fragment of a massive monolithic dock wall. The analysis is performed by the finite element method using a program developed by the authors in the MATLAB environment. Verification of the developed software was performed by comparison with the solution in ANSYS using a linear elastic model without time dependence of the elastic modulus. Next, various options were used to set the dependence of the mechanical characteristics of concrete on the time and temperature of hardening. An analysis was conducted of the possibility of reducing the risk of early cracking by reducing the length of the concrete block, correcting the heat exchange conditions of the surfaces, and reducing the heat generation of concrete.