Temperature of Mass

Concrete
The Basic Theory of Mass Concrete
Mass concrete is volume of concrete with a large dimension that requires some
treatment to overcome excessive heat that can cause cracks. Minimal dimension of
deep of mass concrete is between 1-1.5m or volume to area ratio is > 1.2. Difference
between mass concrete and ordinary concrete is thermal behavior, because with a
large and thick structure, heat hydration does not easily come out. So the temperature
inside the concrete becomes high. One thing that must be considered in mass
concrete is thermal shock (high temperature difference) that can cause cracks.
Temperature difference between the core of concrete and the concrete below is no
more than 19 ˚ C. High temperature difference between inside the concrete and
surface concrete can cause cracks (thermal cracking) as shown in Figure 1
Fig. 1 Thermal cracking
Mechanism of Thermal Cracking
Mechanism of thermal cracking starts from the hydration process of
cement which results in an increase in temperature in the core of the
concrete mass. If the surface of the concrete mass cools faster than the
core, then thermal expansion / contraction will occur, and the
temperature difference triggers a thermal (tensile) stress on the surface
of the concrete mass. The figure shows the temperature difference in
the concrete mass. Figure 2 shows the differences in temperature of
mass concrete.
 Core

Surface

Fig. 2 Temperature difference between the core and the surface of mass concrete
(source: Anshar. et all, Panas Hidrasi Beton Massa yang Menggunakan Semen Portland Komposit,
Hasanuddin University, Prosiding Konferensi Nasional Pascasarjana Teknik Sipil (KNPTS) 2018, ISSN
2477-00-86)
Temperatur Rise Factors of Mass Concrete
Temperatur Rise Factors of Mass Concrete including:
1. Cement: Chemical composition, fineness and amount
2. Aggregate: Type, amount and CTE (Coefficient thermal expantion)
3. Dimension and structure thickness
4. Casting method and ambient temperature
Generally an increase in temperature in mass concrete can occur on
days 1 to day 3 after casting is done. Figure 3 shows the graph of
temperature in mass concrete
Fig. 3 Temperature graph of mass concrete
Monitoring for Mass Concrete
Monitoring for mass concrete is conducted to 2 part
a. Temperature monitoring that is conducted at batching plant
1. Weather temperature
2. Wather temperature to mixing.
3. Aggregate temperature (coarse aggregate and fine aggregate / sand)
4. Fresh concrete temperature
b. Monitoring and data instrument
Monitoring for temperature of mass concrete with using thermocouple
Monitoring for Mass Concrete
Thermocouple can monitor temperature difference that occurs.
According to ACI 116R temperature measurement system can be
conducted by:
1. Once every 2 hours the temperature data for the first 24 hours is
checked / noted
2. Once every 3 hours the temperature data for the second 24 hours is
checked / noted until 4th day
3. In 7th day, every 24 hours taken 4 times for 7 days.
ACI 207.1R.05
Material - Cement
A. Type I and GU
• Suitable for use in general construction
• Not recommended for use alone in mass concrete without other measures
because of their substantially higher heat of hydration.

B. Type II (moderate heat) and MH cements

• Suitable for mass concrete
• Have a moderate heat hydration, which is important to the control of cracking
• It contain no more 8% tricalcium aluminate (C3A)
• Limit on the heat hydration to 70 cal/g (290 kJ/kg) at 7 days
Material - Cement
C. Types IV and LH
• Low heat cement
• Type IV specifications limit the C3A to 7%, the C3S to 35%, and place a minimum on
the C2S of 40%
• The heat of hydration may be limited to 60 cal/g (250 kJ/kg) at 7 days and 70 cal/g
(290 kJ/kg) at 28 days

D. Type V and HS sulfate-resistant cements

• Available in areas with high-sulfate soils
• have moderate heat characteristics
• low alkali (less than 0.6 equivalent alkalies) and low heat (less than 70 cal/g at 7
days)
Material - Cement
E. Type IP portland-pozzolan cement
• Early strength requirements are lower
• They are produced either by intergrinding portland cement clinker and pozzolan or by
blending portland cement or portland blast-furnace slag cement and finely divided pozzolan
• They are produced either by intergrinding portland cement clinker and pozzolan or by
blending portland cement or portland blast-furnace slag cement and finely divided pozzolan

F. Type I(PM) pozzolan-modified portland cement

• its properties are close to those of Type I cement
• A heat of hydration limit of 70 cal/g (290 kJ/kg) at 7 days is an optional requirement for
Types IP and I(PM) by adding the suffix (MH)
• A limit of 60 cal/g (250 kJ/kg) at 7 days is optional for Type P by adding the suffix (LH)
Material - Cement
G. Type IS portland blast-furnace slag cement
• It is produced either by intergrinding portland cement clinker and granulated
blast-furnace slag or by blending portland cement and finely ground-
granulated blast-furnace slag
• .This cement has sometimes been used with a pozzolan

H. Type I(SM) slag-modified portland cement

• contains less than 25% slag
• its properties are close to those of Type I cement
• Optional heat-of-hydration requirements can be applied to Types IS and
I(SM), similar to those applied to Types IP, I(PM), and P
Material - Cement
I. Low-alkali cements
• containing not more than 0.60% alkalies calculated as the percentage of Na2O
plus 0.658 times the percentage of K2O
• These cements can be specified when the cement is to be used in concrete
with aggregate that may be deleteriously reactive
• may not always control highly reactive noncrystalline siliceous aggregate
• It may also be advisable to use a proven pozzolan to ensure control of the
alkali-aggregate reaction
Material – Fly Ash
• Flue dust from burning ground or powdered coal
• Can reduce the water requirement when it is used in concrete
• Class C fly ashes may contain such a high CaO content, so they may be
unsuitable for controlling alkali-aggregate reaction or for improving
sulfate resistance of concrete
• Class C fly ash is less helpful in lowering heat generation in the
concrete
• The use of fly ash in concrete is discussed in ACI 232.2R
Pozzolan in Mass Concrete
• Reduce portland cement factors for better economy
• Lower internal heat generation
• Improve workability
• lessen the potential for damage from alkali-aggregate reactivity and sulfate attack
• Before a pozzolan is used, it should be tested in combination with the project
cement and aggregates to establish that the pozzolan will beneficially contribute to
the quality and economy of the concrete
• Early strength of a portlandcement- pozzolan concrete would be expected to be
lower than that of a portland-cement concrete designed for equivalent strength at
later ages
• Classified by ASTM C 618 as natural (Class N) or fly ash (Class F or C)
Material - Aggregate
• Fine aggregate
Material - Aggregate
• Coarse aggregate
Material - Aggregate
Material - Water
• Should be free of materials that significantly affect the hydration
reactions of Portland cement (Steinour 1960)
• Water that is fit to drink may generally be regarded as acceptable for
use in mixing concrete
• If a potential water source lacking a service record contains amounts
of impurities of 5000 ppm or more, tests for strength and volume
stability (length change) may also be advisable to ensure durable
concrete
Temperature Control
The four elements of an effective temperature control program, any or all of
which may be used for a particular mass concrete project, are:
• Cementitious material content control, where the choice of type and amount of
cementitious materials can lessen the heat-generating potential of the concrete
• Precooling, where cooling of ingredients achieves a lower concrete temperature
as placed in the structure
• Postcooling, where removing heat from the concrete with embedded cooling
coils limits the temperature rise in the structure
• Construction management, where efforts are made to protect the structure
from excessive temperature differentials by knowledge of concrete handling,
construction scheduling, and construction procedures
Temperature Control
• If the mixture is proportioned so that the cementitious materials
content is limited to not more than 235 lb/yd3 (139 kg/m3), the
temperature rise for most concrete will not exceed 35 °F (19 °C).
• For control of cracking, most design criteria restrict this maximum
drop to 25 to 35 °F (14 to 19 °C). Design requirements can be met
under these conditions by controlling, through mixture proportioning,
the adiabatic rise to these levels (Klein et al. 1963).
Thermal Cracking
Thermal cracking can be occurred if thermal strain greater than tensile
strain capacity of concrete. So, cracking does not occur if εr < εt where εr
is thermal strain and εt is tensile strain capacity or σr < σt.
Tensile strength can be calculated by following equation :
E Kf : Restrain factor
r  Kf  T E : Modulus of elasticity
1 
ϕ : Creep coefficient
α : Coefficient of thermal expansion
∆T : Temperature change
Restrain Factor
• Based on ACI 207.2R restrain factor has been approximated by (U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation 1965)
Creep Coefficient
• Creep coefficient is defined as the ratio of creep strain to elastic
coefficient

 cr
Creep coefficient 
E
Coeficient of Thermal Expansion
• Based on ACI 207.2R, typical ranges for common portland-cement
concrete (PCC) component are shown following table:
Temperature Change
• Temperature change can be calculated by following equation
ΔT = placing temperature + adiabatic temperature rise – ambient
temperature or service – heat dissipation temperature
Placement temperature
ACI 207.4R-05 recommends a placement temperature such that the tensile strain
caused by a drop in temperature must not exceed the tensile strain capacity of the
concrete.

Ti : placing temperature of concrete

Tf : final stable temperature of concrete
C : strain capacity (in millionths)
et : coefficient of thermal expansion per degree of temperature (in millionths)
R : degree of restraint (in percent) (refer to ACI 207.2R)
∆t : initial temperature rise of concrete
Placement temperature
• ACI 207.2R mention that for hot weather conditions, ACI 305R
recommends limiting the initial concrete placement temperature to a
maximum of 75 to 100 ˚F (24 and 38 ˚C), depending on placement
conditions. The temperature of concrete placed during hot weather
may exceed the mean daily ambient air temperature by 5 to 10 ˚F (3
to 6 ˚C) unless measures are taken to cool the concrete or the coarse
aggregate.
Thermal Properties of Concrete
Based on ACI 207.2R the relationship of diffusivity , conductivity, and
specific heat is defined by (ASTM 2006):

h2 : diffusivity (m2/h)
K : conductivity (kJ/m h ˚C)
Ch : specific heat (kJ/kg ˚C) value from 0.2 to 0.25 are representative
over a wide range of condition and materials
ρ : density of the concrete (kg/m3)
Adibatic Temperature Rise
Based on ACI 207.2R-07, temperature rise of mass concrete containing
223 kg/m3 of various types of cement are shown in the following
graph:
Adibatic Temperature Rise
Based on ACI 207.2R Adiabatic temperature rise (°F) for the four
cement types may be approximated by:
Ambient Temperature
Based on ACI 207.2R, when no special precautions are taken, the
temperature of the concrete when placed in the forms will be slightly
above the ambient air temperature. The final stable temperature in the
interior of massive concrete structure will approximate the average
annual air temperature at its geographical location.
Heat Dissipation
• Mass concrete can be affected by heat dissipated to, or absorbed from, its
surroundings (Burk 1947). If the external temperature variation can be
considered to be expressed as a sine wave, and if, as in a dam, the body of
concrete is sufficiently thick so that the internal temperature variation is
negligible compared with that of the exposed face, the range of temperature
variation at any distance from the surface can be computed from
ACI 207.4R-05
Precooling System
• Initial temperature control
• To control cracks due to temperature changes
• To minimize thermal stresses and cracking
• Each 10 °F (6 °C) reduction of the placing temperature below average
air temperature will lower the peak temperature of the hardened
concrete by approximately 4 to 6 °F (2 to 3 °C) (ACI 207.2R).
Precooling System
A. Chilled Batch Water
• 1 kg of water, absorbs 4.18 kJ when its temperature is raised 1 °C

B.Using Ice as Batch Water

• 1 kg of ice absorbs 334 kJ when it changes from ice to water. Consequently,
the use of ice is one of the basic and most efficient methods to lower
concrete placing temperatures.
Precooling System
C. Aggregate Cooling
• Processing fine aggregate in chilled water, using chilled water in the final washing or
classification of the fine aggregate can be an effective cooling method. t gains heat quite
slowly following because of the moisture it carries and the possibility for evaporation.
• Sprinkling of coarse aggregate stockpiles, the amount of cooling that can be obtained
depends on the cooling effect of natural evaporation which, in turn, depends on the
ambient conditions of temperature, wind, and relative humidity. Water springkled onto
coarse aggregate should use water that is cooler than the aggregate. this will provide
additional cooling
• Immersion cooling of coarse aggregate, The cooling cycle consists of filling the tank with
chilled water, dumping the coarse aggregate into the tank, circulating the chilled water
through the aggregate, draining water from the tank, and discharging the aggregate
from the bottom gate. The aggregate is discharged onto a conveyor belt and fed over a
vibrating screen to remove excessive moisture
Precooling System
• Chilled water spray, On one large mass concrete project, 150 gal. (570 L) of chilled
water per ton of coarse aggregate was required (in addition to other precooling
techniques) to produce 45 °F (7 °C) concrete.
• Vacuum cooling of aggregates, The aggregates should be processed moist or
contain sufficient water to absorb the amount of heat desired to extract from the
aggregates. Steel silos or bins, with capacities from 100 to 300 tons each (91 to
272 Mg) of aggregate exposed to a vacuum of 0.25 in. (6 mm) of mercury, will
usually provide for a reduction of initial temperatures of 110 °F (43 °C) to a final
average temperature of 50 °F (10 °C) over a 45 minute operational cycle.
• Liquid nitrogen, Initial temperature reduction of more than 20 degrees, the most
effective method is to use liquid nitrogen. Advantages of liquid nitrogen cooling
include relative low cost to rent or purchase the equipment system and the ability
to prepare the plant for nitrogen cooling within just a few days.
Postcooling System
A. Embedded pipe
• The embedded pipe is an effective temperature control by circulating cold
liquid through thin-walled pipes embedded in concrete. The use of the
embedded pipe method is carried out until the concrete has a stable
temperature

B. Surface cooling
• The objective of surface cooling is to create a steep but tolerable thermal
gradient adjacent to the exposed vertical surfaces concurrently with the
placing of the concrete, and to maintain the cooling for a minimum of 2 weeks.
The optimum period determined theoretically for a typical mass concrete
placement is about 3 weeks.