Early-Age Thermal-Shrinkage Cracking in Deep Foundations

With the growing rate of urbanisation, deep foundations are playing an ever-larger role in the development of cities, reaching deeper than before to fulfil the requirements of new constructions. While current European standards include design procedures for structural and geotechnical design, they lack provisions for massive deep foundations with regard to early-age thermal effects. This paper presents aspects of the phenomenon especially important for deep foundations and discusses normative requirements that influence their thermal behaviour. Further, the paper describes the methods and results of the research carried out in the United Kingdom on 1.50-m-thick diaphragm walls of a deep circular shaft. Shaft features are described, as well as the materials used. The measurements were carried out using vibrating wire strain gauges coupled with temperature readings. The results presented refer to one of the test panels concreted in January 2020. The temperature results are analysed together with the influence of work scheduling on the readings. Strain results that indicate contractive behaviour of the test panel are investigated together with the possible causes leading to such readings. Plans and directions for future research are discussed.