Seasonal thermal stress analysis of defective mass concrete sidewalls based on the average forming temperature method

TL;DR

This study analyzes how seasonal thermal gradients induce stress concentrations in defective underground concrete walls, using finite-element simulations to quantify risks and suggest mitigation strategies for structural integrity.

Contribution

It introduces a finite-element simulation framework to evaluate thermal stress concentrations around cracks and voids in mass concrete walls under seasonal temperature variations.

Findings

Pronounced tensile stress concentrations occur at crack tips and bottoms.

Seasonal temperature gradients amplify local stresses around defects.

Average forming temperature increases peak tensile stress on void surfaces.

Abstract

Thermal cracking in urban underground sidewalls is frequently observed when structures are cast in summer and enter service in winter, as seasonal temperature gradients act under structural restraint. To quantify the local stress field associated with pre-existing cracks, an orthogonal finite-element simulation matrix of 16 combinations is constructed. Distributions of maximum principal stress () at the surface crack tip and along the upper half of the crack bottom are evaluated using steady-state thermal loading and a linear-elastic constitutive model. Across all cases, pronounced tensile stress concentration occurs at both locations: the maximum ranges from 19.2 to 34.1 MPa at the crack surface end and from 17.2 to 29.4 MPa at the crack bottom. These concentrated values are consistently higher than the stress level at the same locations in an otherwise identical uncracked wall, clarifying how seasonal temperature gradients under restraint amplify local stresses around existing defects. The quantitative ranges reported here provide a basis for risk screening and for formulating practical mitigation measures (e.g., joint spacing and insulation strategies) in the design and operation of urban underground enclosure walls. In addition, three-dimensional simulations of randomly distributed internal voids show that adopting average forming temperature increases the peak tensile stress on void surfaces from 3.42 to 4.40 MPa at 10 deg C and from 5.98 to 6.96 MPa at -5 deg C, further highlighting the risk amplification effect of AFT under cold service conditions.