Numerical modelling of early-age concrete hardening

Abstract

The design of concrete structures exposed to severe environmental conditions requires serious attention for concrete durability. A mix design selection aimed at obtaining the maximisation of the service life performance of the structures often requires in-depth knowledge of what happens to concrete during casting and during the first days of the mixture's life. The appearance of cracks and high residual stresses during this time can be critical for concrete structures. A detailed investigation into the early-age behaviour of four different concrete mixtures is presented in this paper. Each mixture has been experimentally tested at the Delft University of Technology to evaluate adiabatic temperature rise during hardening, compressive strength development and crack sensitivity. On the basis of experimental data, the current paper presents a procedure to be followed to obtain a complete thermomechanical simulation of concrete hardening phenomena, using finite-element analysis.