21 - Temperature Control of Concrete Dam in Cold Region

Abstract

In a cold region, there are very low winter temperatures, low mean annual temperatures, and large amplitude of annual temperature variations, and the construction of a dam is usually suspended in winter because of the low temperature, which will cause large temperature differences above foundations, large temperature differences between upper and lower parts, and large temperature differences between surface and interior, which will bring great difficulties to the temperature control of a concrete dam. Furthermore, there are two problems ignored by people when building the RCCD in a cold region. The first one concerns the thin concrete block on the bedrock passing through the winter. Since the construction of a concrete dam in a cold region is usually suspended in winter and the last concrete was placed in autumn on both sides of the river that were located in the strong constraint zone of the foundation, in the following winter, the low temperature would bring ultracold to the thin concrete block and cause cracks. The second one concerns the problem of the ultracold of bedrock. The surface of rock is in contact with air of low temperature in the winter, the temperature of the bedrock under the first placed concrete in spring is much lower than the steady temperature of the dam, which would increase the temperature difference of concrete above the foundation.