Numerical Simulation of the Effects of Temperature and Wind on Concrete at Early Age

The early age behavior of concrete is a complex phenomenon because of the chemical, physical and mechanical characteristics that evolve in time, with climate being one of the essential conditions influencing this evolution. The objective of our present work is based on the study by numerical simulation, in 3- dimensions, of concrete behavior at an early age during the first 24 h of hydration under severe conditions of temperature and wind speed using a COMSOL Multi-physics.
The temperature was maintained at 55°C for the first 7 h, then from the 8th hour to 24th hour decreasing down to 25°C, with a 12km/h wind speed. The model describes two divided domains air and the concrete slab. The obtained results allow us to better understand the temperature variation phenomena in the slab by heat transfer taking into account the release of heat due to the exothermic reactions of cement hydration as well as the influence of a high wind speed, while varying the thickness of the slab studied and the w/c ratio.