Early Age Thermal Cracking







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Early-age thermal cracking occurs when the tensile strain, arising from either

restrained thermal contraction or a temperature differential within the concrete

section, exceeds the tensile strain capacity of the concrete. Autogenous shrinkage may

also contribute to early contraction. Numerous factors influence the risk of early-age

cracking including the temperature rise, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the

concrete, the restraint to movement offered either by adjacent elements or by

differential strain within an element, and the ability of the concrete to resist tensile

strain. Temperature rise depends on the heat generating capacity of the concrete

affected by the cement content and type, the element thickness and the conditions into

which the concrete is cast, in particular the formwork type.





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