THE TEMPERATURE VARIATION EFFECT IN THE CONCRETE STRUCTURE

FROM THE HEAT GENERATED FROM EXTERNAL SOURCE

Bashir Abdirahman Jama1,a, Ir. Mustaqqim bin Abdul Rahim2,b

1, 2
Department of Civil Engineering, School of Environmental Engineering,
Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Jejawi Complex 3, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia
Phone: +6049798626; Fax: +6049798636
1, a
Email: bashir1440@gmail.com ,2, b Email: mustaqqim@unimap.edu.my
Phone: +60124488745; Fax: +60184615130

Key words: Lightning, High Electric Current, Concrete, Temperature:

Abstract. Lightning can be defined as sudden electrostatic discharge. Lightning strike can
occur anywhere either the be oceans, plains or mountain can cause more disaster to human and
buildings. In order to protect our buildings from that damage caused by the high lightning
current impact, Lightning Protection System (LPS) must be installed into building. One of the
methods is to insert the lightning protection cable inside the concrete structure and clamp with
reinforcement bar. The objective of this research is to investigate any changes of temperature
during the lightning strike, which the lightning strike were stimulated by high electric current
equipment impulse generator and followed into the concrete beam. Different samples of
concrete were prepared for this research. The conclusion result can be concluded that for the
inside temperature it can be proved there was no variation of temperature as the data logger
was put at different location in order to accumulate the data after each 0.2 second, and there
was no essential variation temperature was recorded. The different of each 10 strikes electric
current are very small and it can be considering as negligible. The changing is due to the
increasing temperature for the concrete exposed to open space.

1. INTRODUCTION
Lightning is the natural phenomenon that cannot be prevented. Lightning strike has an average
100,000,000 volts of electricity, current of up to 100,000 Amperes and may create heat up to
30,000 ºC [1]. In every year thousands of advantages are damaged or destroyed by lightning.
Lightning strike may cause devastation in many ways such as facilities and properties damaged
[2]. Properly there are two main ways discharge that lightning occur, cloud to cloud lightning
(CC) just occur within clouds while cloud to ground lightning (CG) just occur from
thunderclouds It has been about 250 years since Benjamin Franklin experienced with a kite and
proved that lightning is an electrical discharge [3]. Malaysia is one of the most country with
highest thunderstorm days in the world, its recorded the country around the equator received
the higher number of lightning activity [4]. Therefore, lightning protection system was created
20th centuries to reduce the damage of equipment’s, fire on structure or the safety of human life
from the direct lightning strike [5]. Even though the occurrence of lightning cannot be
prevented. The main goal of Lightning Protection System is to protect any construction or
building and contents from dangerous cause by the strongly high voltage current of lightning
strike. LPS proposals to transfer lightning strike a low resistance path to the ground where the
huge energy is discharged safely the ground [6]. For the protection system was hidden in the
concrete, the conductor cable was bind in the reinforcement bars before the casting process.
The objective of this research is to investigate any changes of temperature during the lightning
strike to the concrete structures.

2. MATERIAL AND METHODS

Reinforced concrete beam

Concrete Beam 1200 mm length used in this research. The size of the beam is 200 x 350 mm.
The concrete Grade used was Grade 35N/mm. The Beam reinforced with 2 no of bar Diameter
16 mm at the bottom reinforcement and 2 no of bar Diameter 10 mm at top reinforcement. And
the Shear Link diameter 6 mm used as the Shear Reinforcement at distance 175 mm. Details
of the reinforcement arrangement in the Fig. 1. The beam was cured for 28 days after casting
before testing process. In this all samples were used three thermocouples in a different position
that were casted together in the reinforced concrete beams at the location of the Thermocouple
1 (T1) is 2 cm, Thermocouple 2 (T2) 2 cm and 3 cm for Thermocouple 3 (T3).

Figure 1: The Concrete Beam Used

Figure 2: Lightning Cable and Clamp

 Figure 3: Thermocouple casted into the concrete

Lightning Stimulation Test

In this project the equipment used to provide the high electric current inside the reinforced
concrete beam is the impulse generator. Therefore, the process of this research is to connect
the reinforced concrete beam with incoming current from the impulse generator equipment and
the others part is dissipating into ground. However, the electricity current will be connected
into the concrete beam through the additional cable using the impulse generator which can
purely provide a higher current up to 48 KA. The lightning impact will be starting from 1.5KA
in order to follow the public work department guidelines. In this lightning test needs to have a
three level of electric current which are 15KA, in this one we should consider as (Sample 1),
30 KA should be as (Sample 2) and finally 45 KA should be as (Sample 3). Therefore, in every
of those 3 samples flowed by 10 times of electric current strike to get the minimum and
maximum impact from the high electric current

Figure 4: Impulse Generator for High Current

Temperature Test

The temperature test was done by collect the data for the inside, outside concrete temperature.
In this study will discuss how the thermocouples capture the heat temperature before and after
the current strike such as inside, outside and surrounding reinforced concrete beam. There was
10 current strike for the inside reinforced concrete beam, therefore all the thermocouples would
have been connected to the data logger model DATATAKER DT80 in order to gather the
temperature data and at the end the data can be checked at computer.

3. Result and discussion

Inside Concrete Temperature

This the result from 1A1, and 2A2all the three thermocouples are from model (1) and model
(2) where additional cable was designed at the top and down respectively of the reinforced
concrete beam. In this project was used to collect from the data logger as shown in Figure 4
there are 10 strikes on each Figure. The data logger has been set-up to collect the temperature
data in the minimum time. In 0.2 second interval time. The electric current strike is set to occur
after 20 second, so that any changes of temperature can be monitor after that time. There are
10 lines for every 20 second had been plotted in the graph for the electric current strike.

Outside Concrete Temperature.

For the outside concrete temperature, in every one of sample of reinforced concrete beam has
additional cable at the top and down part of the beam, although the additional cable was clamp
with the reinforcement bars. Therefore, there has been electric current which is 10 times of
strike on every sample of beam that was set to occur in every 20 second, so that any differences
of temperature can be display after that time. The data logger was used in order to set up to
collect the temperature data in the minimum time by using thermocouple device was at the
middle of outside of the reinforced concrete beam. In this result from the outside concrete
temperature it can be clarify that the temperature changes because the strike can’t be measured
in the event of current strike is too short.

Surrounding Concrete Temperature.

In this part will discussed the surrounding temperature was measured by using thermocouple
device after the reinforced concrete beam has been done and cured for 28 days. therefore,
thermocouple device was set at the nearby reinforced concrete beam in order to measure the
temperature, however in every sample of concrete beam followed by 10 times of electric
current strike. The electric current was set to happen in every 20 second to obtain the minimum
and maximum of impact the high electric current. For the result of surrounding temperature
remains the same without cause any effect from the electric current flow.
 Temperature (°C) vs Time (s)
40

35

30
Temperature (°C)

25
Thermo-couple 1 (Inside)
20
Thermo-couple 2 (Outside)
15
Thermo-couple 3 (Surrounding)
10

0
9.8
19.6
29.4
39.2

58.8
68.6
78.4
88.2

107.8
117.6
127.4
137.2

156.8
166.6
176.4
186.2
0

49

98

147

196
2ndstrike

10thstrike
1ststrike

3rdstrike

4thstrike

5thstrike

7thstrike

8thstrike

9thstrike
6thstrike

Figure 5: Comparison between the temperatures for the thermocouples for sample (1A1).

In this graph lines combined together in figure 5 shows above, is the result from 1A1 in model
(1) where the additional cable was designed at the top of the reinforced concrete beam. Each
one of the thermocouple has a deferent position in these three thermocouples combined
together. After all the data have been shown in a computer it can be presented in a graphical
form. The first thermocouple has been set inside the concrete, the value of this thermocouple
has increased monotonically and reversibly with increasing temperature starting from the initial
1ststrike to the last 10thstrike. The second thermocouple was outside of the concrete, this
thermocouple has a similar pattern from 1ststrike to the 10thstrike which there are no radically
changes in the temperature. The third thermocouple was set surrounding of the concrete, the
value of this thermocouple was increased starting from the 1ststrike until to the 6thstrike and
then decreased for 7thstrike until to the last 10thstrike. Comparing the pattern between
thermocouples in the figure above illustrates that there is slightly difference between the
patterns. However, the result got from 1A1in model (1) 9thstrike and 8thstrike for thermocouple
1 and 2 respectively are invalid due to a technical problem and the other temperature strike
remains with the same pattern without cause any effect from the electric current flow.
 Temperature (°C) vs Time (s)
40

35

30
Temperature (°C)

25
Therno-couple 1 (Inside)
20
Thermo-couple 2 (Outside)
15
Thermo-couple 3 (Surrounding)
10

0
0.2
5.6
11

97.4
16.4
21.8
27.2
32.6
38
43.4
48.8
54.2
59.6
65
70.4
75.8
81.2
86.6
92

102.8
108.2
5thstrike

10thstrike
2ndstrike

7thstrike
4thstrike
1ststrike

3rdstrike

6thstrike

8thstrike

9thstrike

Figure 6: Comparison between the temperatures for the thermocouples for sample (2A2).

This line graph result has got from 2A2 in model (2) where the additional cable was set at the
down of the reinforcement concrete beam. There has been 10 times of current strike captured
by using thermocouple device having a different location. Thermocouple 1 was inside the
concrete totally got invalid because of technical problem between the 1ststrike until 7thstrike,
for 8thstrike, 9thstrike and 10thstrike the temperature did not change at all. For thermocouple 2
and 3 was at outside and surrounding respectively almost they have the similar pattern which
there are no radically changes for every 10 strikes and interval temperature at 20 second, the
temperature rests with the similar outline without cause any effect from the electric current
flow and the differences between the outlines are too small.

4. CONCLUSION

This study shows the effect of temperature in the concrete due to high current impact. As the
conclusion of the result that found during the experiment, there was no extremely temperature
variation effect to the concrete beam as the data logger was set to collect the data after 20
second, and no drastic changes of temperature was recorded. The variation is very slight and it
can be considering negligible. This is because of the period of the high electric current strike
was too short and not produced any variation in temperature.
5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Firstly, I am grateful to Allah for giving me the strength through my prayers for the good
healthiness that were necessary to complete this thesis. Secondly I would like to express my
sincere and appreciation toward my supervisor, Ir. Mustaqqim bin Abdul Rahim for his
cooperation, guidance, inspiration and valuable advice while doing this project. His guidance
assisted me to complete this project from the selection of the project tittle until now.

6. REFERENCES

[1] Richard, L.C. and Doug. D. 2005. How to protect your house and its content from
Lightning. Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), pp.2-10.
[2] Supartono, E. & Haryono, T., 2015. A PPLICATION OF C ONE P ROTECTION AND R
OLLING S PHERE M ETHODS IN E XTERNAL L IGHTNING P ROTECTION A
NALYSIS ON 214 R ADAR T OWER. , 8(4), pp.475–481
[3] KUNIKO URASHIMA, 2003. Considering of Lightning Damage Protection and Risk
Reduction for a Safe and Secure Society

[4] A.Rozali, H.Khairuddin, 2012. Lightning Strike Fatalities : Three Case Reports of Military
Personnel in Malaysia. , 8(June), pp.73–75.

[5] Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization [CTBTO]. 2010. IMS Earthing
and Lightning Protection Minimum Standard, version 1.1.

[6] Rahim, M.A., Naser, A., Ghani, A., Arkam, M., Munaaim, C., et al., 2016. The
Temperature Effect to the Concrete Due to the Single Strike of High Electric Current. , 857,
pp.337–341.