A thermal analysis of concrete structures performed by layers using boundary element formulation and dual reciprocity

Abstract

This paper presents an application of the Boundary Element Method (BEM) in engineering to numerically analyse the thermal behaviour of structures executed by layers that present different temperatures at the time of overlapping and/or that present some type of internal heat generation. This type of phenomenon occurs, for example, in large concrete structures, where the structure has its temperature altered due to the hydration reaction of the cement during the concrete curing process. Using the developed formulation, it is possible to simulate the temperature field at all stages of the construction process and in different situations by changing the thermophysical parameters, taking into account the thermal influence of one layer on the others and on the structure as a whole. With the simulation results, it is also possible to define the deposition time between the layers of the structure, which is important information for cases in which the temperature variation may imply the appearance of thermal stresses, for example, or when the maximum temperature reached do not exceed a certain limit. The cases presented were directed to concrete structures, mainly roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dams, whose details of the construction process, as well as the heat diffusion process during the concrete curing process and the entire formulation of the boundary element, are presented below.