Temperature and moisture distribution inside a circular concrete column during the early stages of hydration

Abstract

The present work introduces a numerical simulation of the transient behavior of temperature, moisture, and maturity inside a circular concrete column during the hydration reaction. The unsteady, two-dimensional governing equations under consideration have been solved by a finite difference method. A parametric study has been conducted to study the quantitative effects of several parameters on the thermal behavior of the column under consideration. These parameters include: ambient temperature, ambient relative humidity, wind speed, column radius, and the time that the column formwork remains in place. It has been found that the maximum temperature difference between the hottest spot and the coldest spot within the column under consideration has been significantly affected by the ambient temperature, the time duration of the formboard, the column radius, and the wind speed. Less significant effect is attributed to ambient relative humidity. Also, the time at which the value of the maximum temperature difference within the present column reaches its peak value is significantly affected by the ambient temperature and the radius of the column. Less significant, non-monotonic effects have been observed for the time duration of the formboard, the wind speed, and the relative humidity.