Thermo-mechanical response of UHPFRC at early age — Experimental study and numerical simulation

The thermal effects on the Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) behavior are still not completely known. Under high temperatures, the processes that interact at early age are thermo-activated. All the experimental results obtained within this research confirmed it. Besides, certain authors observed a non-monotonous effect of temperature on the autogenous shrinkage and the creep of normal and high performance concretes. To clarify the thermal effect on the early age UHPFRC behavior an extensive experimental study was carried out. Tests results showed a non-monotonous effect of temperature on the autogenous shrinkage. In addition, finite element numerical simulations were performed to predict the experimental results and to validate existing models for different curing conditions. These models are necessary to predict accurately the deformations, the stresses and the damage (cracking) in the case of structural elements subjected to in-situ temperature variations.