Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Study on mechanism of thermal spalling in concrete exposed to elevated temperatures

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Materials and Structures Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper presents a review of explosive spalling of concrete at elevated temperatures. The affecting factors, mechanisms and current theoretical and experimental studies are summarized. Using a numerical model proposed by the authors, numerical simulations were performed to investigate the effects of the thermally cracking process considering the effects of heterogeneity of the material properties on the spalling in concrete exposed to a transient thermal load. The investigations showed that the thermal cracking is the key factor causing the corner and surface spalling, and suggested that a coupling of thermal cracking and pore pressure is the main cause of explosive spalling and uncertainty of explosive spalling. The explosive spalling induced by elevated temperatures is a complex nonlinear problem, which can be understood only through establishing a methodology using behavioral aspects for both material science and mechanics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Sanjayan G, Stocks LJ (1993) Spalling of high strength silica fume concrete in fire. ACI Mater J 90(2):170–173

    Google Scholar 

  2. Kalifa P, Menneteau FD, Quenard D (2000) Spalling and pore pressure in HPC at high temperatures. Cement Concrete Res 30:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Khoury GA (2000) Effect of fire on concrete and concrete structures. Proc Struct Eng Mater 2:429–447

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Lin WM, Lin TD, Powers-Couche LJ (1996) Microstructures of fire damaged concrete. ACI Mater J 92:199–205

    Google Scholar 

  5. Peng GF, Yang WW, Zhao J (2006) Explosive spalling and residual mechanical properties of fiber-toughened high-performance concrete subjected to high temperatures. Cement Concrete Res 36:723–727

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Anderberg Y (1997) Spalling phenomena of HPC and OC. In: Phan LT, Carino NJ, Duthinh D, Garboczi E (eds) Proceedings of international workshop on fire performance of high-strength concrete (NIST Special Publication 919). Gettysburg, pp 69–73

  7. Chan YNS, Peng GF, Anson M (1999) Fire behavior of high-performance concrete made with silica fume at various moisture contents. ACI Mater J 96(3):405–411

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hertz KD (1992) Danish Investigations on Silica Fume concrete at elevated temperatures. ACI Mater J 89(4):345–347

    Google Scholar 

  9. Poon CS, Azhar S, Anson M (2001) Comparison of the strength and durability performance of normal- and high-strength pozzolanic concretes at elevated temperatures. Cement Concrete Res 31(9):1291–1300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Hertz KD (2003) Limit s of spalling of fire-exposed concrete. Fire Safety J 38(2):103–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Poon CS, Azhar S, Anson M (2003) Performance of metakaolin concrete at elevated temperatures. Cement Concrete Compos 25(1):83–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Khoury GA, Majorana CE, Pesavento F, Schrefler BA (2002) Modelling of heated concrete. Mag Concrete Res 54(2):77–101

    Google Scholar 

  13. Ali Behnood, Hasan Ziari (2008) Effects of silica fume addition and water to cement ratio on the properties of high-strength concrete after exposure to high temperatures. Cement Concrete Compos 30:106–112

    Google Scholar 

  14. Furumura F, Abe T, Shinohara Y, Shinohara Y (1995) Mechanical properties of high strength concrete at high temperatures. In: Proceedings of the fourth Weimar workshop on high performance concrete: material properties and design. Germany, pp 237–254

  15. Hammer TA (1995) High-strength concrete phase, compressive strength and E-modulus at elevated temperatures (SP6 fire resistance, report 6.1). SINTEF Structures and Concrete

  16. Ali F (2002) Is high strength concrete more susceptible to explosive spalling than normal strength concrete in fire? Fire Mater 26:127–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Shorter GW, Harmathy TZ (1965) Moisture clog spalling. Proc Inst Civ Eng 20:75–90

    Google Scholar 

  18. Akhtarruzaman AA, Sullivan PJ (1970) Explosive spalling of concrete exposed to high temperature. Concrete structures and technology research report. Imperial College, London

  19. Meyer-Ottens C (1972) The question of spalling of concrete structural elements of standard concrete under fire loading. PhD Thesis, Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany

  20. Diederichs U, Jumppanen UM, Penttala V (1988) Material properties of high strength concrete at elevated temperature. Proceedings of 13th Congress of IABSE. Zurich, pp 489–494

  21. Phan LT, Lawson JR, Davis FL (2001) Effects of elevated temperature exposure on heating characteristics, spalling, and residual properties of high performance concrete. Mater Struct 34:83–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Dougill JW (1972) Modes of failure of concrete panels exposed to high temperatures. Mag Concrete Res 24(79):71–76

    Google Scholar 

  23. Bažant ZP (1997) Analysis of pore pressure, thermal stresses and fracture in rapidly heated concrete. In: Phan LT, Carino NJ, Duthinh D, Garboczi E (eds) Proceedings of international workshop on fire performance of high-strength concrete (NIST Special Publication 919). Gettysburg, pp 155–164

  24. Ulm FJ, Coussy O, Bažant ZP (1999) The ‘Chunnel’ fire. I: chemoplastic softening in rapidly heated concrete. J Eng Mech ASCE 125(3):272–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Sullivan PJE (2004) A probabilistic method of testing for the assessment of deterioration and explosive spalling of high strength concrete beams in flexure at high temperature. Cement Concrete Compos 26(2):155–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Connolly RJ (1995) The spalling of concrete in fires. PhD Thesis, Aston University

  27. Tenchev RT, Purnell P (2005) An application of a damage constitutive model to concrete at high temperature and prediction of spalling. Int J Solids Struct 42:6550–6565

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  28. Gawin D, Pesavento F, Schrefler BA (2003) Modelling of hygro-thermal behaviour and damage of concrete at temperature with thermo-chemical and mechanical material degradation. Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng 192:1731–1771

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  29. Kristensen L, Hansen TC (1994) Cracks in concrete core due to fire or thermal heating shock. ACI Mater J 91:453–459

    Google Scholar 

  30. Nemati KM, Monteiro PJM, Cook NGW (1998) A new method for studying stress-induced microcracks in concrete. J Mater Civil Eng 10:128–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Fu YF, Wong YL, Poon CS, Tang CA, Lin P (2004) Experimental study of micro/macro crack development and stress-strain relations of cement-based composite materials at elevated temperatures. Cement Concrete Res 34(5):789–797

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Fu YF, Wong YL, Tang CA, Poon CS (2004) Thermal induced stress and associated cracking in cement-based composite at elevated temperatures (Part I): Thermal cracking around single inclusion. Cement Concrete Compos 26(2):99–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Fu YF, Wong YL, Poon CS (2007) Numerical tests of thermal cracking induced by temperature gradient in cement-based composites under thermal loads. Cement Concrete Compos 29:103–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. British Standards Institution. BS 476 (1987) Fire tests on building materials and structures. London

  35. Jumpannen UM (1989) Effect of strength on fire behaviour of concrete. Nordic Concrete Research Publication No. 8

Download references

Acknowledgements

The work presented in this paper was financially supported by National Natural Science Funds, P.R. China (Grant No. 50778084, 50408029 and No. 50778046).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute of Highway, MOT, Beijing, 100088, China

    Yufang Fu

  2. Key Laboratory of Bridge Detection and Reinforcement Technology, MOT, Beijing, 100088, China

    Yufang Fu

  3. Dalian University of Technology, School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Dalian, 116024, China

    Lianchong Li

Authors
  1. Yufang Fu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lianchong Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yufang Fu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fu, Y., Li, L. Study on mechanism of thermal spalling in concrete exposed to elevated temperatures. Mater Struct 44, 361–376 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-010-9632-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-010-9632-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation