Abstract
In this study, the early age thermal properties of a concrete mix containing ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) were investigated and incorporated in a finite-element model. A two-term exponential degree of hydration function was proposed to better capture the early age behavior. An FEM program (ABAQUS) was used to predict the temperature time-history of three 1.2-m (4-ft) cubes cast with a mix design containing 50% replacement of the cement by weight with GGBFS. The FEM predictions match well with the experimental temperature measurements. Results show that using the measurements of the thermal properties, an accurate estimation of the temperature difference can be obtained for a concrete mix containing GGBFS, and engineers can use the estimated temperature difference to take preventative measures to minimize the risk of thermal cracking.
Highlights
The chemical reaction of cement with water is an exothermal reaction that releases a large amount of heat
Laboratory experiments were completed to measure the thermal properties of a mix design containing 50% replacement of the cement by weight with ground granulated blast furnace slag
The two-term degree of hydration was shown to better capture the early age and later-age behavior of concrete containing ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). This improvement increased the accuracy of the maximum temperature and temperature difference prediction for concrete containing GGBFS
Summary
The chemical reaction of cement with water is an exothermal reaction that releases a large amount of heat. The complexity of the problem increases because the thermal conductivity, specific heat, and heat generation rate depend on the concrete’s maturity. These properties must be expressed in terms of the degree of hydration. In the user-defined subroutines, the thermal conductivity, specific heat, and heat generation rate of the concrete were defined using a degree of hydration dependent functions. The thermal energy released during the hydration process of the cementitious material with water depends on many factors such as the cementitious material’s chemical composition, mix proportions, and the concrete’s temperature-time history.
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