Concrete Creep Modeling: Application to Slabs on Ground

Abstract

Moisture warping of concrete slab occurs as a long process due to the slow transportation nature of moisture in concrete materials. Creep, as a time-dependent property of concrete, will inevitably affect the mechanical responses of slabs on ground during this process. This study considered the effect of concrete creep in pavement slab for analyzing moisture warping, warping stress, and the total stress under traffic loads. A method is proposed to calculate the time-dependent warping deformation and stress in concrete slab on ground. This method uses the sequential coupled hygromechanical finite-element analysis and incorporates a concrete creep model which is capable of considering the relative humidity effect. The effect of environmental relative humidity; the design parameters, including concrete type, slab size, thickness, and bonding condition with the base; and the age of concrete exposed to drying on the warping and stress of slabs were investigated considering the creep effect. It was found that concrete creep has a significant effect on the warping and stress of slabs. It is important to consider creep effect in designing and analyzing deformation and stress generated in concrete pavement slabs, particularly when a moisture gradient exists in slabs.