The Numerical Simulation of Temperature Profile of a Mass Concrete Block using ANSYS

Abstract

Any volume of concrete with large dimensions and that requires special measures to control the heat that is generated during hydration is termed as the mass concrete. Highly exothermic hydration of cement in concrete causes rise in internal temperature which does not dissipate easily when compared to surface. This gives rise to thermal gradients within the structure and in turn generate thermal stresses depending on the type of restraints. If these thermal stresses outrange the tensile strength of concrete, cracks may develop during early ages, affecting the durability. In this paper, the early age thermal behaviour of a massive concrete block subjected to an assumed constant heat generation is assessed numerically using the popular finite element software package ANSYS. The developed methodology is validated with results available in the literature. A detailed parametric study is also conducted to evaluate the effect of thermal properties like conductivity, specific gravity, rate of heat generation and initial temperature on the temperature distribution of the concrete. The study can be further modified to develop detailed methodology to perform thermal-stress analysis of massive concrete structures.