Title:
Improved Schmidt Method for Predicting Temperature Development in Mass Concrete
Author(s):
Christopher P. Bobko, Vahid Zanjani Zadeh, and Rudolf Seracino
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
112
Issue:
4
Appears on pages(s):
579-586
Keywords:
finite element analysis; heat of hydration; mass concrete; Schmidt method; thermal cracking.
DOI:
10.14359/51687454
Date:
7/1/2015
Abstract:
Designing mass concrete structural elements to avoid early-age
thermal cracking requires good predictions of temperatures within the mass concrete. An improved method for predicting temperature in mass concrete structural elements is proposed and validated. The new method combines empirical methods for predicting temperature rise associated with heat of hydration with the Schmidt method, a simplified numerical tool for solving the heat transfer problem. Methods for modeling thermal insulation with the Schmidt method are also discussed. The new method is simple enough to implement in a spreadsheet analysis. Three case studies are modeled with the
previous implementation of the Schmidt method and the proposed new implementation. The model predictions are compared with temperature measurements and predictions from detailed finite element modeling. In all cases, the new implementation provides much better predictions than previous versions of the Schmidt method and nearly matches the predictions made by finite element modeling.