A numerical analysis method on thermal and shrinkage stress of concrete

Thermal stress often causes cracks in large scale concrete such as that for dam construction. The drying shrinkage of concrete causes cracks in concrete structures. These thermal stress and drying shrinkage stress may be the main reasons cracks occur in concrete, however there is few research which dealt with both stresses together. The problems on the thermal stress and the drying shrinkage are not independent, and should be dealt with together, because both temperature and water content of concrete affect hydration reaction, and the degree of hydration determines all the characteristics of concrete at early age. In this study, the degree of hydration is formulated experimentally, and a numerical stress analysis method taking the hydration reaction in consideration is presented. The formulation of the rate of hydration reaction, the method of analyzing thermal and drying shrinkage stresses, the analytical results for a concrete column and the influence that continuous load exerted to the tensile strength of concrete are reported. The relatively high stress nearly equal to the tensile strength of concrete arises near the surface. (K.I.)