Experimental Study and Numerical Analysis of Hydration Heat Effect on Precast Prestressed Concrete Box Girder
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Background of the Project
3. Experimental Investigation
3.1. Distribution of Temperature Measurement Points
3.2. Results of Temperature Monitoring Points
4. Finite Element Analysis
4.1. Finite Element Model
4.2. Model Parameters
4.2.1. Concrete Characteristics
4.2.2. Thermodynamic Parameters of Concrete
4.2.3. Measurement of Environmental Temperature
4.3. Construction Phase
4.4. Analysis of Calculation Results
4.4.1. Analysis of Temperature Time History
4.4.2. Temperature Field Distribution
4.4.3. Stress Field Distribution
4.4.4. Stress Simulation Analysis
5. Comparison of Construction Schemes
5.1. Temperature Effect Evaluation
5.2. Stress Effect Evaluation
5.3. Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation
6. Conclusions
- The monitored maximum temperature shows a positive correlation with the cross-sectional dimensions of the structural member, where the larger the size, the higher the temperature. Meanwhile, the time taken for the concrete temperature to reach the maximum value is essentially proportional to the distance between the measurement point and the member’s surface. The smaller the distance, the shorter the time to reach the peak temperature.
- The measured and theoretical temperature time histories exhibit comparable trends, indicating that the developed finite element model accurately captures the thermal behavior induced by the hydration process in a representative 5 m long segment of the box girder. This finding can provide a foundation for the subsequent analysis of the hydration heat of an 80 m long segment of the prestressed concrete box girder of the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Railway Bridge.
- The corresponding maximum principal stress increases with the temperature difference between the interior and the surface of concrete, demonstrating that hydration-induced differential thermal expansion between the core and surface regions greatly affects the tensile stress.
- To effectively prevent structural cracking risks during the concrete pouring and curing process of box girders, a scheme is proposed to maintain principal stress levels consistently below the concrete’s tensile strength threshold. For summer construction with a high concrete molding temperature, implementing strategic ventilation measures within the girder effectively reduces core-surface thermal gradients and early-age tensile stresses, thereby mitigating the initial concrete cracking potential.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Materials | Cement | Coal Fly Ash | Mineral Powder | Sand | Crushed Stone | Water Reducer | Water |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mass/kg | 286 | 134 | 57 | 727 | 1046 | 5.72 | 144 |
Specific heat capacity/ | 0.536 | 0.92 | 0.92 | 0.75 | 0.71 | / | 4.19 |
2.22 | 0.23 | 0.26 | 3.08 | 2.91 | / | 0.6 |
Age of Concrete/d | Compressive Strength/MPa | Splitting Tensile Strength/MPa | Tensile Strength/MPa | Modulus of Elasticity/MPa |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 32.3 | 2.32 | 4.218 | |
3 | 38.7 | 3.04 | 4.319 | |
5 | 49.3 | 3.33 | 4.422 | |
7 | 55.2 | 3.77 | 4.477 | |
28 | 68.1 | 4.48 | \ |
Construction Phase | Time (h) | Step Size (h) |
---|---|---|
Floor pouring stage | 1 | 1/6 |
Web pouring stage | 1 | 1/6 |
Roof pouring stage | 2 | 1/3 |
Curing stage 1 | 40 | 1 |
Curing stage 2 | 160 | 2 |
Scheme | Concrete Surface Wetting | Concrete Pouring Temperature | Internal Surface Ventilation of Box Girder |
---|---|---|---|
1 | √ | 20 | 1 m/s |
2 | √ | 24 | 1 m/s |
3 | √ | 24 | 4 m/s |
Structure | Materials | Amount of Material | Unit Material Cost | Cost of Various Materials/Thousand Yuan | Total Cost/ Thousand Yuan | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m3 | t | Yuan/m3 | Yuan/t | ||||
5 m test section | C55 concrete | 34.11 | 399.72 | 13.6 | 61.6 | ||
reinforcement | 15.32 | 3132 | 48.0 | ||||
80 m box girder structure | C55 concrete | 1079.87 | 399.72 | 431.6 | 1753.4 | ||
reinforcement | 268.54 | 3132 | 841.1 | ||||
71.44 | 6729 | 480.7 |
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Wang, T.; Cai, J.; Feng, Q.; Jia, W.; He, Y. Experimental Study and Numerical Analysis of Hydration Heat Effect on Precast Prestressed Concrete Box Girder. Buildings 2025, 15, 859. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15060859
Wang T, Cai J, Feng Q, Jia W, He Y. Experimental Study and Numerical Analysis of Hydration Heat Effect on Precast Prestressed Concrete Box Girder. Buildings. 2025; 15(6):859. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15060859
Chicago/Turabian StyleWang, Tianyu, Jinbiao Cai, Qian Feng, Weizhong Jia, and Yongchao He. 2025. "Experimental Study and Numerical Analysis of Hydration Heat Effect on Precast Prestressed Concrete Box Girder" Buildings 15, no. 6: 859. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15060859
APA StyleWang, T., Cai, J., Feng, Q., Jia, W., & He, Y. (2025). Experimental Study and Numerical Analysis of Hydration Heat Effect on Precast Prestressed Concrete Box Girder. Buildings, 15(6), 859. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15060859