Thermal Management in Mass Concrete Structures

Thermal management in mass concrete structures addresses the control of heat generated during cement hydration to prevent deleterious temperature differentials and early-age cracking. Large concrete elements such as dams, foundations and bridge decks inherently trap heat in their core, leading to thermal gradients between the interior and exterior. These gradients induce tensile stresses that can exceed the tensile capacity of young concrete, resulting in cracks that compromise durability and long-term performance. Effective control strategies integrate material selection, structural design and construction techniques. Low-heat cements and supplementary cementitious materials reduce peak temperature, while tailored aggregate blends enhance overall thermal conductivity. Embedded cooling systems, including circulating water or pipe networks, offer active temperature regulation. Advances in numerical modelling, from adiabatic and non-adiabatic heat generation models to finite element simulations, enable accurate prediction of temperature evolution under varying environmental conditions. In parallel, real-time monitoring with embedded sensors supports adaptive control of curing regimes. Optimisation algorithms and data-driven approaches have further refined scheduling of concrete lifts and cooling operations. Collectively, these measures mitigate crack risk, extend service life and support sustainable infrastructure development across diverse climatic and geographic contexts.

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Thermal Management in Mass Concrete Structures publication trend

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Technical terms

Heat of hydration: The exothermic heat released during the chemical reaction of cement and water.

Thermal gradient: The temperature difference between two points within a concrete element, typically core and surface.

Adiabatic condition: A scenario in which no heat is exchanged between the concrete and its environment, used for conservative thermal modelling.

Hydration kinetics: The rate and sequence of chemical reactions during the cement-water hydration process.

Pipe-cooling system: An embedded network of pipes circulating fluid to remove excess heat from mass concrete.

References

1. Early-Age Cracking in Concrete: Causes, Consequences, Remedial Measures, and Recommendations. Applied Sciences (2018).
2. Heat of hydration of low-clinker cements. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (2015).
3. Revisiting the Effect of Slag in Reducing Heat of Hydration in Concrete in Comparison to Other Supplementary Cementitious Materials. Materials (2018).
4. Complex Effect of Concrete Composition on the Thermo-Mechanical Behaviour of Mass Concrete. Materials (2018).
5. Correlating strength and durability to time-temperature profiles of high-performance mass concrete. Case Studies in Construction Materials (2022).
6. Optimization of Mass Concrete Construction Using a Twofold Parallel Genetic Algorithm. Applied Sciences (2018).
7. Thermal Simulation of Rolled Concrete Dams: Influence of the Hydration Model and the Environmental Actions on the Thermal Field. Water (2020).
8. Experimental and Numerical Studies of Controlling Thermal Cracks in Mass Concrete Foundation by Circulating Water. Applied Sciences (2016).