This document summarizes the effects of shrinkage and temperature changes on concrete, including: - Shrinkage occurs as free water evaporates from concrete, causing cracks if not controlled. It can cause stresses in statically indeterminate structures and loss of pre-stress. - The amount of shrinkage depends on water-cement ratio, cement content, aggregate type and content. It can be reduced by decreasing water, increasing aggregate, and proper curing. - Temperature changes cause expansion and contraction that can also cause cracks. The coefficient of thermal expansion is typically 4-7x10-6 per °F. - Both shrinkage and temperature effects are important to consider in concrete design to

1. Ahsanullah University of
Science & Technology
Pre-stressed Concrete Sessional
CE 416
Course Teacher:
Munshi Galib Muktadir
Lecturer
Department of Civil Engineering

2. Presentation on

3. Presented by:
Mohammed Shakib Rahman
Roll No. : 10.01.03.072

4. Introduction:
Influence of a different nature cause
concrete, even when free of any
external loading, to undergo
deformations and volume changes. The
most important of these are shrinkage
and the effects of temperature
variations.

5. Effect of Shrinkage
We know that workable concrete mix
contains more water than is needed for
hydration. If the concrete is exposed to
air, the large part of this free water
evaporates in time. As the concrete
dries, it shrinks in volume, probably due
to the capillarity tension that develops in
the water remaining in the concrete.

6. Effects:
Shrinkage,
which continues at a
decreasing rate for several months,
depending on the configuration of the
member, is a detrimental property of
concrete in several respects.
When not adequately controlled, it will
cause unsightly and often deleterious
cracks, as in slabs, walls, etc.
In structures that are statically
indeterminate, it can cause large and
harmful stress.
In pre-stressed concrete it leads to
partial loss of initial pre-stress.

8. Figure : Crack due to shrinkage.

9. Determination of the amount of final shrinkage:
A key factor in determining the amount of final
shrinkage is the unit water content of the fresh
concrete. This is illustrated in figure 1:
Figure 1

10. This figure shows that the amount of
shrinkage for varying amounts of mixing
water.
The same aggregates were used for all
tests, but in addition to and independently
of the water content, the amount of
cement was also varied from 376 to 1034
lb/yd3 of concrete. This very large variation
of cement content causes a 20 to 30
percent variation in shrinkage strain for
water content between 250 to 350 lb/yd3,
the range used for most structural
concretes.

11. Again an increase in aggregate can significantly
decrease shrinkage. This is shown in figure 2:
This figure
compares the
shrinkage of
concretes with
various aggregate
contents with the
shrinkage obtained
for neat cement
paste (cement and
water alone).
Figure
2

12. Value of final shrinkage for ordinary cements
are generally on the order of 400*10-6 to
800*10-6, depending on the initial water
content, ambient temperature and humidity
conditions, and the nature of aggregate.
Highly absorptive aggregates, such as some
sandstones and slates, result in shrinkage
values 2 and more times those obtained with
less absorptive materials, such as granites
and some lime-stones. Some light weight
aggregates, in view of their great porosity,
easily result in much large shrinkage values
than ordinary concrete.

13. Long term studies shows that, for moist-cured
concrete at any time t after the initial 7 days,
shrinkage can be predicted satisfactorily by the
equation :
Where
is the unit shrinkage strain at time t in
days and
is the ultimate value after a long
period of time. Equation pertains to “standard”
conditions that is for humidity not in excess of 40
percent and for an average thickness of member
of 6 in, and is apply for both normal-weight and
lightweight concretes. Modification factor are to
be applied for nonstandard conditions, and
separate equations are given for steam –cured
members.

14. Control of shrinkage:
It is evident that an effective means of reducing
shrinkage involves both a reduction in water
content and an increase in aggregate content. In
addition, prolonged and careful curing is
beneficial for shrinkage control.
For structures in which a reduction in cracking is
of particular importance, such as bridge decks,
pavement slabs, and liquid storage tanks, the
use of expansive cement concrete is
appropriate. Of the three types of expansive
cements produced, only type K is commercially
available in the United States, it is about 20
percent more expensive than ordinary Portland
cement.

15. Effect of temperature change
Like most other materials, concrete expands
with increasing temperature and contracts
with decreasing temperature. The effects of
such volume changes are similar to those
caused by shrinkage that is temperature
contraction can lead to objectionable
cracking, particularly when superimposed on
shrinkage. In indeterminate structures,
deformation due to temperature changes can
cause large and occasionally harmful
stresses.

16. The coefficient of thermal expansion
and contraction varies somewhat,
depending upon the type of aggregate
and richness of the mix. It is generally
within the range of 4*10-6 to 7*10-6 per
oF. A value of 5.5*10-6 is generally
accepted as satisfactory for calculating
stresses and deformations caused by
temperature changes.

17. Figure : Crack due to temperature change.