Thermo-hygro-mechanical behavior of early-age concrete deck in composite bridge under environmental loadings. Part 2: strain and stress

Restraint of volume change in concrete accompanies the development of stress in concrete structures. When concrete is placed in the field, the stress development becomes very complicated at early ages due to the hydration and environmental interaction. This study investigates quantitatively the effects of various factors on the stress variation of early-age concrete decks in composite bridges under environmental loading. The test members were made to exhibit the early-age behavior of a composite bridge. The effects of parameters related to thermal and drying shrinkage stress were analyzed through a numerical model and compared with measured data. The risk of transverse cracking in early-age concrete decks was evaluated in the numerical parametric study. The present study provides better understanding of the behavior of early-age composite bridge under environmental loading, which can be efficiently utilized to reduce the risk of cracking at early ages.