Methods for cracking risk assessment and limitation in hardening concrete

Research Project, 2023

Since the early 1990s, several SBUF projects have been carried out with a focus on concrete structures during curing and the risk of thermal cracking. Computer programs and aids/tools have also been developed to assess the stress and cracking risk of concrete structures during curing. However, no systematic review of the state of knowledge (State-Of-The-Art) has been conducted in the last 20 years; the most recent one was carried out within the SBUF and Brite/EuRam-funded project IPACS. A State-Of-The-Art report was published in 2011 in Norway, and the Norwegian Concrete Association published a guide in 2021. In Denmark, temperature cracks were investigated within the "HETEK" project in the late 90s, and testing methods and material models were presented. The primary purpose of the project is to, through an environmental analysis of methods and tools used, determine the nature of concrete during curing. The analysis will lead to a report highlighting Swedish needs for research and development of methods and tools. Increased knowledge of hardening concrete's cracking risk-related properties is of the utmost importance for the construction industry as the need for understanding and the robustness of the industry's approach and procedure has increased significantly recently.