Heat of Hydration Analysis

Version 14.2 of LUSAS Civil & Structural and LUSAS Bridge products permit modelling the heat of hydration of concrete for a variety of cement types. Effects due to the addition of fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag can also be included. When used in conjunction with Nonlinear, Dynamic, and Thermal software options the heat of concrete hydration can be computed during a thermo-mechanical coupled analysis and the temperatures and degree of hydration can be read in to the mechanical analysis. Currently the mechanical properties of the concrete can only be defined as a function of temperature.

Application example: Dam construction

Heat of hydration analysis and a semi-coupled structural analysis is carried out on a simple testcase model of a dam that is constructed in three stages. Results for the heat of hydration analysis are plotted on section slices through the model. Structural analysis results include the effects caused by an aging Young’s Modulus as a result of defining concrete creep properties.

Heat of Hydration example : Dam

Maximum temperature differential in first casting stage	Maximum temperature differential in second casting stage	Maximum temperature differential in third casting stage

Semi-coupled Thermal / Structural example : Dam

Maximum surface stress in first casting stage	Maximum surface stress in second casting stage	Maximum surface stress in third casting stage