Viscoelastic and Thermal Behavior of Structural Concrete with Reference to Containment Vessels

A method of numerical viscoelastic stress analysis is described suitable for concrete structures operating at elevated temperatures. The paper describes how approximate numerical methods of elastic analysis of the finite element type can be extended to incorporate the viscoelastic behavior of structural concrete of the quasi-static type. A new eight parameter viscoelastic model is proposed to represent concrete behavior in the loaded and unloaded stage. The deformational expressions for the proposed viscoelastic analogue are also developed. Finally, as a result of courve-fitting procedures, the evaluation of the creep law coefficients are obtained for creep laws appropriate to a test regime. The proposed method is of general application providing that the properties of concrete are assessed reasonably well. The analytical predictions are compared with experimental results obtained on concrete model specimens loaded for 3½ months, at a temperature of 80°C.