Finite Element Analysis on Hydration Heat of Concrete under the Influence of Reinforcing Steel Bars

The magnitude and distribution of hydration heat of concrete structures are related to the thermal properties of each component of the concrete, the initial temperature, the type of formwork, and the ambient temperature of exposed surfaces. Even though the reinforcing steel bar has completely different thermal properties, it has been excluded in the thermal analysis of the concrete structures for uncertain reasons. In this study, finite element analysis was performed on the concrete structures reinforced with steel bars in order to investigate the effect of reinforcing steel bars on the temperature and stress distribution due to the heat of hydration. As the steel content increased, the maximum temperature and the difference in the internal-external temperature decreased by 32.5% and 10.0%, respectively. It is clearly shown that the consideration of the influence of reinforcing steel bars in the heat of hydration analysis is necessary to obtain realistic solutions for the prediction of the maximum temperature and stresses of concrete structures.