Numerical analysis of shrinkage stresses in a mass concrete

Abstract A numerical model based on an actual structure in Taiwan is proposed to investigate the shrinkage behavior of mass concrete. A commercially available program, ANSYS, which treats concrete as a homogeneous and isotropic material, was used in the investigation. The stresses are assumed to be within the elastic range. The shrinkage strains for various segments of mass concrete were evaluated according to currently available prediction equations (ACI 209, 1992; CEB‐FIP, 1991). By converting these strain values into equivalent stresses based on Hook's law, finite element computations were then performed to predict the long‐term shrinkage behavior of mass concrete. Experimental verifications by nondestructive tests were carried out to confirm the results of the numerical predictions. Comparisons show that the numerical predictions are in agreement with the experimental results.