Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd

CATF RAFT FOUNDATION CONCRETING

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Index

Mass Concrete Raft Foundation

1. What is Mass Concreting

2. Applications of Mass Concrete

3. Overview

4. Effects Of High Temperature Of Placing and Core

5. Construction Practices of Mass Concreting

6. Conclusion

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By LALITH KIRAN
 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
What is Mass Concreting ?

According to ACI mass concrete is defined as

“Any volume of concrete with dimensions large enough to require that measures be
taken to cope with generation of heat from hydration of the cement and attendant
volume change, to minimize cracking.”

“ Any member with minimum lateral dimensions of more than 1.3 m should be
considered as Mass Concrete”

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“Mass Concrete is a concrete having considerable dimensions that may get affected
by thermal behavior of concrete.”

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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Applications of Mass Concreting

Mass concrete has been used extensively in industrial and civil construction. In the construction of
modern civil engineering construction, the application of mass concrete structure has become more and
more common.

The crack phenomenon is a more common problem in the construction of mass concrete structure, and it
is also an important factor affecting the quality and stability of mass concrete structure. Therefore, the
prevention and treatment of cracks in large volume coagulation structure is the main point of
construction technology of mass concrete structure

Mass Concrete applications mainly in .....

 High rise buildings

 Columns & foundations
 Metro railways
 Other infrastructural developments Peirs , bed blocks, flyovers etc.
 Dams, reservoirs, retaining walls and maritime structures etc.
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Overview of Mass Concreting

All concretes generate heat as the cementitious materials hydrate. Most of this heat generation occurs in
the first days after placement.

The one characteristic that distinguishes mass concrete from other concrete work is thermal behavior.

The design of mass concrete structures is generally based on durability, economy, and thermal action.
Strength is secondary in the design process.

The problem of mass concrete cracks can be divided into : Surface cracks and Deep cracks according to
the different forms and degrees of cracks.

For thicker concrete sections (mass concrete), heat dissipates more slowly than it is generated. The net
result is that mass concrete can get hot.

Management of these temperatures is necessary to prevent damage, minimize delays, and meet project
specifications.

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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Effects Of High Temperature Of Placing and Core

High mixture temperatures also effect important properties of the hardened concrete such as.....

 Decreased ultimate strength at Core

 Increased tendency for moisture and thermal shrinkage cracks

 Decreased material durability,

 Decreased uniformity of surface appearance

 Increased Heat of Hydration

 Volume Change

 High Permeability

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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Effects Of High Temperature Of Placing and Core

Concrete is thermally very poor conductor, Heat transfer ( Heat of Hydration) Results in unequal thermal
expansion

Tensile stress at the free surface due to expansion of core exceeds the tensile strength, then surface cracking
will develop

Temp. difference between interior & outer surface of more than 20 degrees cause cracks.

Max Temperature “Tmax” = Placement Temperature of Concrete + Temperature Rise due to Heat of Hydration
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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Temperature Rise

The temperature rise of concrete depends on:

1. Concrete placing temperature

2. Cement composition, fineness, and content.
3. Aggregate content and CTE (Coeff. of Thermal Expansion).
4. Section thickness.
5. Formwork type and time of removal.
6. Ambient conditions.
7. Supplementary cementing materials.

Most mass concreting specifications call for an absolute maximum temperature value of not more than
160F(71 degree Celsius), and a core-to-face differential of never more than 35F.

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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Temperature Differential

Temperature gradients are produced when the heat being generated in the concrete is dissipated to the
surrounding environment causing the temperature at the surface of the concrete to be lower than the
temperature at interior of the concrete

Surface Thermal Cracking during Heating Period

 As the temperature at the core of mass concrete is higher due to the heat of hydration, expansion will occur.

 This expansion is restrained by the cooler exterior concrete that doesn’t expand as rapidly as the core.

 The restraint will cause compressive stresses to develop at the core and tensile stresses at the surface.

 It leads to increase the cracking potential at or close to the surface of the concrete.

As heating occurs, the surface is subject to tensile stresses as the center of the
pour gets hotter and expands to a greater extent.

By LALITH KIRAN
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Construction Practices of Mass Concreting

Concrete should be poured in layers of equal depths so that each layer may get some time to release the
initial heat of hydration.

Concrete placing temperature should not be more than 35 C.

Core temperature should not be more than 70 C

Differential Concrete Temperature between surface and core should not be more than 20 c

In addition to reducing the cement content of the concrete, some practices are done to control the
temperature rise in massive concrete structures :

1.Postcooling
2.Precooling
3.Surface Insulation

4.Expansion Reinforcement
By LALITH KIRAN
 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Post Cooling

It is the process of cooling the core of the concrete to reduce the temperature differential. Cooling pipes in
mass concrete are used to reduce maximum concrete temperatures and to quickly reduce interior
temperatures.

 Mostly by circulating a cool liquid (usually water) through thin-walled pipes embedded in the concrete,
these pipes are usually made from aluminum or thin steel.

 The rate of heat removal depends on:

 Size of the pipe,

 Volume of fluid circulated
 Temperature of the fluid

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This method can have high initial and operating costs, but benefits can often outweigh these costs if
cooling pipe size, spacing, and temperatures are optimized properly.
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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Post Cooling

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Post cooling The first critical period of cooling continues until:

 The temperature of the concrete decreases to about 30 F (17 C) below the initial peak value.

 The concrete has been cooled to its final stable temperature

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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Post Cooling

Effects of Internal Cooling Pipes Steel Pipes are most effective at extracting the heat from the core

This method can have high initial and operating costs, but benefits can often.

It is important to emphasize again that significant internal and surface thermal cracking can result if post-
cooling is improperly designed or performed.
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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Pre Cooling (Preferred and Most Commonly Used Method)

The concrete temperature at the time of placement has a great impact on the maximum concrete
temperature.

Concrete components can be precooled in several ways:

 The batch water can be chilled or ice can be substituted for part of the batch water.

 Aggregate stockpiles can be shaded.

 Fine aggregates can be processed in a classifier using chilled water.

To reduce the maximum concrete temperature by approximately 10 F (6 C), the concrete temperature at
the time of placement should generally be reduced by 10 F (6 C)

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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Pre Cooling (Preferred and Most Commonly Used Method)

Cooling the coarse aggregate the most important among these practices, because it provides the greatest
potential for removing heat from the mixture.

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1.Sprinkling stockpiles with water to provide for evaporative cooling.

2.Spraying chilled water on aggregates on slow-moving transfer belts.
3.Immersing coarse aggregates in tanks of chilled water

4.Use of liquid nitrogen to cool aggregates.

Chilled water spray to cool aggregates

Efforts to cool aggregates have the most pronounced effects on the concrete temperature because they
represent 70 to 85% of the weight of the concrete.

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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Pre Cooling (Preferred and Most Commonly Used Method)

Pre-cooling using Ice :

The most common, yet perhaps least understood, cooling method is replacing mix water with ice. This cools
concrete in two ways:

 It first lowers the mix-water temperature

 Second it lowers the mix temperature by extracting heat during the phase change from ice to water

Apart of mixing water was introduced into concrete as crushed ice

So that the temperature of in place fresh concrete was limited to 6°C.

Generally, the lower the temperature of concrete when it passes from

a plastic state to an elastic state, the less will be the tendency toward
cracking.

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Pre Cooling (Preferred and Most Commonly Used Method)

A new aspect of Precooling is Flushing the mix is Liquid Nitrogen

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Liquid nitrogen can also be used to precool concrete or concrete

constituents.

This option can significantly increase the cost of concrete; however, it has been used to successfully precool
concrete to 34 F (1 C) for highly specialized mass concrete placements.

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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Surface Insulation

Insulating formwork after placement is another technique to reduce the temperature gradient:

 By limiting the heat loss on the surface - we can limit the temperature differential between the surface and the
core !

 The purpose of surface insulation is not to restrict the temperature rise, but to regulate the rate of temperature
drop so that the stress differences due to steep temperature gradients between the concrete surface and the
interior are reduced.

 Insulated formwork is often used to warm the concrete surface and reduce the temperature difference, which in
turn minimizes the potential for thermal cracking.

 Many types of insulation materials are available, and insulation levels can be optimized to meet required
temperature differences and maximize the rate of cooling.

 Insulation is inexpensive, but resulting delays from the reduced cooling rate can be costly.

By LALITH KIRAN
 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Expansion Reinforcement

Expansion Reinforcement can be used to lessen thermal cracking

 Designed in addition to loads placed onto the structure.

 Distributes thermal stresses to minimize crack widths.

 Impractical for very large pours! Very expensive!

 The implementation of the thermal control plan saved money and kept the project on schedule

 No thermal cracking in concrete was reported

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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Temperature Gradient

Surface contraction due to cooling is restrained by the hotter interior concrete that doesn’t contract as rapidly
as the surface. This restraint creates tensile stresses that can crack the surface of the concrete. The width and
depth of cracks depends upon the temperature differential, physical properties of the concrete, and the
reinforcing steel.

The key to reducing thermal cracking is to :

 Reduce the peak temperature

 Control the temperature differential between the hot core and the cool surface.

 Reducing the peak temperature effects the time it takes for an element to reach a stable temperature and
effects the temperature differentials. Excessively high internal concrete temperatures (>70°C) may also
lead to DEF (Delayed Ettringite Formation) and durability issues

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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Our Target

A temperature differential limit attempts to minimize excessive cracking due to differential volume change.

A limit of 20°C is the industry practice.

So, our target is that :

 The core temperature should be ≤ 70°C.

 The temperature of top surface of the concrete should be ≥ 50°C,Thus the differential temperature will be
< 20°C

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 Amara Raja Infra Pvt Ltd
Conclusion

Mass Concrete is just ordinary normal concrete but at a huge scale of practice, where thermal stresses
caused by the hydration of cement, becomes very considerable.

This behavior requires some special actions in:

 The mix design (decreasing the cement)

 The construction (cooling and insulation)

 A temperature differential limit attempts to minimize excessive cracking due to differential volume change.

By LALITH KIRAN