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Save
time and
money on
Mass Concrete
Construction
By John Gajda, P.E.
On a recent bridge foundation
construction project in Northern
California near an Francisco, CTL’s
concrete construction consultants
significantly have reduced the time
and cost for the construction of a
series of mass concrete footings.
The footing (Fig. 1) is 18.5 m wide
by 18.5 m long by 4.75 m deep.
Specifications
Although the specifications re-
quired that the concrete achieve 35
MPa in 28 days, other require-
ments regarding the minimum
cementitious content and water-
to-cementitious ratio resulted in
Sept-Dec 2003
the use of 55 MPa concrete. Speci-
fications also limited the maxi-
mum concrete temperature during
curing to 65°C, and the maximum
temperature difference (between
any surface and the centre) to a
maximum of 20°C at any time af-
ter placement. Insulation was re-
quired to remain in place until the
hottest portion of the concrete
cooled to within 20°C of the daily
low air temperature. Thermal
cracking was also prohibited by
specification.
Drawing on its experience pro-
viding mass concrete consulting
services on more than 100 previ-
ous occasions worldwide, CTL col-
34
•
•
laborated effectively with the con-
tractor from 3,000 km away,
optimising concrete mix character-
istics for the mass concrete place-
ments. CTL also utilised its own
software to conduct precise ther-
mal modelling and simulation of
concrete during and after place-
ment.
Cement and
Concrete
The concrete mix constituents and
quantities were selected to mini-
mise the temperature rise of the
concrete, meet the project speci-
fications, and rapidly achieve
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Figure 1a (above), 1b (below) - Overview of footing and pier prior to concrete placement

35 Sept-Dec 2003
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Figure 2 - Comparison of the specified and calculated allowable temperature differences

strength. The cementitious materials consisted of 250
kg/cu m of low-heat Type II cement and 135 kg/cu m
of class F fly ash. The coarse aggregate was basaltic,
with a low coefficient of thermal expansion. CTL
measured the heat of hydration of the cementitious
materials and the thermal expansion of the concrete.
Original plan
The simplest way to construct the footing within the
temperature specifications would have been to deter-
mine the required initial concrete temperature,
precool the concrete to this temperature, and insu-
late the surface until the hottest portion of the con-
crete cooled to within 20°C of the ambient air tem-
perature. Preliminary calculations indicated that this
concrete mix could be expected to increase in tem-
perature by 55°C after placement. This meant that the
concrete would have to be precooled to a tempera-
ture of less than 10°C.
Given the project location and placement date,
this would have cost approximately US$ 40,000 for
liquid nitrogen precooling. Thermal modelling of the
footing showed that insulation would be required for
approximately 40 days. During this time, little to no
work could be done on the pier and other structures
that needed to be constructed on the footing.
Modified plan
Confident of CTL’s knowledge in this area, the owner
allowed the specifications to be modified. In particu-
lar, the use of a calculated allowable temperature dif-
ference was substituted for the 20°C temperature dif-
ference. This change took into account the increased
ability of the concrete to resist thermal cracking as
its compressive strength increases. The allowable tem-
perature difference specific to the footing was calcu-
lated based on the concrete mix design and footing
design, and is shown in Fig. 2. Additionally, because
the contractor wanted to eliminate the costs of
precooling and also minimise the time of insulation,
CTL designed an internal post-cooling pipe system
to rapidly cool the concrete after placement.

Sept-Dec 2003 36
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Figure 3 - Measured tem-

peratures in the footing

Results ing are seen in Fig. 3. With CTL’s assistance, the con-
tractor was able to complete the footing in nine days,
Eventually the concrete was placed without precooling
shaving 31 days off the schedule. Additionally, CTL’s
at a temperature of 22°C. Through the use of the cool-
expertise eliminated the need for approximately US$
ing pipe system and the calculated allowable tempera-
40,000 in precooling expenses. Similar results were
ture difference, the concrete had cooled enough to
achieved for other footings on this project.
remove the surface insulation 9 days after placement.
Measured temperature profiles from within the foot- Enquiry No: CTT***/3/2003

About the author

John Gajda, P.E., is Senior Engineer with Construction Technology Laboratories. In his 11 years with CTL
he has been involved in a wide variety of projects. Specific to mass concrete, he has been involved in
more than 100 projects throughout the world, most of which were on large bridges, buildings, and mat
foundations. He was also involved in the roughly US$ 2 billion replacement of the San Francisco - Oakland
Bay Bridge, where the piles, pile caps, piers, and pier tables are high strength mass concrete.

37 Sept-Dec 2003