Estimation of Early-Age Tensile Stresses in Mass Concrete Containing Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34, Issue 5
Abstract
In this study, the early-age mechanical properties of a concrete mix containing ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) were investigated and incorporated in a finite-element model. The viscoelastic behavior caused by early-age tensile creep was considered using a viscoelastic analysis in which the creep strain increment was calculated using a strain superposition method. Subroutines for a FEM program (ABAQUS) were developed to predict the stress time-history considering early-age tensile and compressive creep during thermal loading and unloading. Three 1.2-m (4-ft) cubes were cast with a mix design containing 50% replacement by weight of the cement with GGBFS. The FEM predictions match well with the experimental strain measurements. The results indicate that using the proposed analysis and the measured mechanical properties obtains an accurate estimation of the maximum tensile stress for a concrete mix containing GGBFS. Engineers can use the estimated tensile stresses to take preventative measures to minimize the risk of thermal cracking on mass concrete structures.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all of the data, models, code, or subroutines of the FEM models that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the support provided by the West Virginia Transportation Division of Highways (WVDOH) and FHWA for Research Project WVDOH RP#312. Special thanks are extended to our project monitors Mike Mance, Donald Williams, and Ryan Arnold of WVDOH. The authors also appreciate the assistance from Yun Lin, Alper Yikici, Zhanxiao Ma, and Seyednavid Mardmomen. This work was supported by the West Virginia Department of Transportation with RP#312.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34 • Issue 5 • May 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 28, 2021
Accepted: Sep 14, 2021
Published online: Feb 24, 2022
Published in print: May 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jul 24, 2022
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