Thermal Stress Calculation Method for Concrete Pavement Based on Temperature Prediction and Finite Element Method Analysis

Abstract

A method to predict thermal stress of a concrete slab was developed in this study. In this method, temperatures and thermal stresses in a concrete slab are predicted by solving a one-dimensional heat transfer equation with the control volume method and three-dimensional finite element method (3DFEM). Predicted temperatures were compared with those measured in various regions in Japan to validate the method. The thermal strains calculated with 3DFEM were also compared with those measured in test concrete pavement slabs to confirm the method’s validity. The relative frequencies of thermal stress for one year were obtained from the calculated stresses. In thin slabs (20 and 23 cm), tensile thermal stress at the bottom was greater than those estimated with the current thermal stress equation, which considers internal stress due to the nonlinearity of the temperature profile in the slab. In thick slabs (25 and 30 cm), by contrast, the current thermal stress equation gave almost the same thermal stress as the finite element method did, although the peak time for the maximum tensile stress was delayed in the thick slabs. The proposed method can be applied to a variety of concrete pavement structures under various temperature conditions.

Analysis of the Coupling Effect of Thermal and Traffic Loads on Cement Concrete Pavement with Voids Repaired with Polymer Grout

“…Because the thickness of a concrete pavement is small compared to its areal dimensions, the temperature field in the pavement may be approximated by the one-dimensional heat transfer equation, as shown in the following equation [18]:…”

“…Nishizawa et al [18] proposed a method to predict the thermal stress in concrete slabs based on three-dimensional finite element analysis with one-dimensional thermal stress assumption.…”

Mechanical Properties of Sand-Cement Mortar with Different Water/Cement Ratio under Thermal Gradient Conditions

“…Nonuniform temperature fields throughout the cross-section of the structure can have a negative effect on the strength gain of concrete [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Cracking caused by the temperature gradient can provide a loss in the structural integrity and a reduction in the service life of in-situ reinforced concrete structures [16][17][18]. In most cases, the temperature gradient is not high, but the heat transfer process enabled by it, can change the morphology, porosity, humidity, strength, and other physical and mechanical properties of concrete.…”