Determination of The Monolith Length of RCC Dams Due to Thermal Stress Analysis

Heat caused by hydration of cement is one of the major problems in construction of RCC dams. Several solutions have been suggested to address this issue and control the heat till now. Placing contraction joints in RCC dams is one of the ways to control the thermal gradient and stress. Tensile stresses and hydration heat can be predicted and controlled by determining contraction joints distance. In this study, the influence of length and depth of the concrete dam on tension and hydration heat is studied. In sections with different depth of concrete, the distance between contraction joints (monolith length) can be determined based on hydration and maximum of tension. This will speed up the construction of the dam and reduce administrative costs.