SOME RESULTS OF OBSERVATIONS OF THERMAL CRACKING

IN T H E C O N C R E T E IN T H E UST-ILIM D A M

B. V. Shaikin UDC 627.82.012.3

Between 1969 and 1976,'1652 cracks were found in the Ust-Ilim dam concrete. The cracks
were recorded in 1042 blocks of the structure (Table I). The overwhelming majority of cracks
(87-88%) were surface or shallow (less than 1.0-m depth of propagation into the blocks) and
12-13% of the cracks were through or deep. Cracks splitting the blocks apart were consid-
ered through cracks, cracks penetrating to a depth of more than 1.0-1.5 m were considered
deep; 79 cracks in the first column of the dam proved to be percolating.
The length of the cracks on the vertical faces of the blocks varied from 0.3 to 9.0 m.
The overwhelming majority of the cracks had a length equal to the height of the block. Cracks
of greater length appeared, as a rule, during striking of the faces of masses having a high
temperature in the winter. On the horizontal faces of the blocks the length of cracks varied
from 0.5 to 22 m. During the observation period the width of cracks averaged 0.35 mm (limits
0.02-3.0 mm).
The cracks which were percolating before filling the reservoir had an average width of
0.5-0.6 mm (limits 0.4-1.3 mm). Here reference is to the apparent width of the cracks, i.e.,
the width that could be measured on the faces of blocks accessible for measurement. Observa-
tions of percolation showed that the discharges recorded from cracks under the same head were
poorly related to their width. Evidently the results of measurements do not always relate to
the width of the cracks over the entire plane of their propagation.
Above 45% of all surface and shallow cracks formed during yearly transitional periods:
from summer to winter and vice versa. During such periods there were numerous violations of
the need to protect the faces of the blocks from the effect of low air temperatures during
construction.
In this connection it is necessary to call attention to the following circumstance. The
requirements imposed on providing crack resistance of the concrete and the fire-safety re-
quirements in effect at the construction site conflicted. The flre-safety requirements stipu.
lated leaving breaks in the continuous formwork on the faces of the blocks and did not allow
storage near the structure of flammable materials, such as the formwork sheeting and sawdust,
which serve as the main insulator for the horizontal faces of the blocks. Consequently in
early spring the builders tried to remove the formwork as quickly as possible from the faces
of the blocks, and in late summer-early fall they set about insulating the horizontal sur-
faces of the s,xrmmer-poured blocks as late as possible. The absence of sawdust stockpiles
near the structure compelled distributing it "on the go," which caused additional technologi-
cal difficulties.
In the falls of 1973 and 1974 it was necessary to deliver to the structure and distri-
bute about 5000-5500 m' of sawdust for insulating the horizontal surfaces of the blocks poured
in the spring and summer. With concreting being carried out at the same time, the insulating
period was dragged out until 0ctober-November, which in many respects made the concreting work
useless.
At the same time, the overall level of temperature regulation improved during the course
of construction. This is indicated by the decrease in the rate of cracking as concreting
came to an end (Table i). The slight increases ~n the indices n/V and n/Ncr in 1976 are due
to the fact that in that year primarily high-grade concrete, M400 [grade], V12 [impermeabil-
ity], Mrz400 [frost-resistance], with 360 kg of portland cement from the Krasnoyarsk plant
per 1 m' of concrete, was poured for the spillway. The highest rate of cracking was noted in
the spillway concrete in comparison with concretes of other zones of the structure (Table 2).

Translated from Gidrotekhnicheskoe Stroitel'stvo, No. i, pp. 14-16, January, 1978.

20 0018-8220/78/0001-0020507.50 9 1978 Plenum Publishing Corporation

 OBSERVATIONS OF THERMAL CRACKING IN CONCRETE IN _THE UST-ILIM DAM 21

TABLE I TABLE 2
l'~ INo.of[ No. Ofl-~
1 8 pdblocks] d" blocks = Rate of cracking
Zone of dam ~

~- i>~>7 lZ~ .~lunits i.iT Nor

5o % ~.its/z0 3 m
1~9 1 lEO
1970 I 183
833 198
I00
161
60
1,2
0,6
19 1.2
1,7
~n~t column
er zone
SPC:
SPC
244 ig 06
0,3
117
1,6
1971 I 275 171 1,0 1,6 Spillway PO~. 28 1,2 2.a.
1973 I 488 I 153 185 138 0,4 12 1,3
]973 I 918 1486 346 193 o,, 1,3
1974 I 985 1482 215 0,4 1,7 *SPC = slag portland cement; PC = portland
1975 I 612 1112 81 0,2 1,7 cement.
1976 | 149 485 47 23 0,3 15 2,0
1969-.-1976J 3765 7977 16.52 104ff 0,4 1,6

The data presented in Table 2 on the rate of cracking in the spillway blocks are lower than
actual, since an inspection of the entire spillway face has not been possible so far owing
to its difficulty. In 1974, Ncr/N = 78% for the inspected spillway blocks.
In many respects a high rate of cracking in the spillway concrete was promoted by con-
tradictions In the requirements imposed on providing crack resistance and quality of the spill-
way surface. To reduce the number of horizontal joints on the spillway face, concreting was
carried out in blocks of height H = 3.0 m. Exothermic heating of such blocks, Tex = 36-39~
whereas for H = 1.5 m, Tex = 27-28~ 9 For inspection of the surface quality and immediate elim-
ination of possible defects, striking of the faces of the blocks 1-2 days after concreting
was prescribed during the warm perlod of the year. Thls resulted in the spillway block faces
being exposed during an intense increase of temperature In their central zones. The tempera-
ture differences between the core and face reached 32-36 ~ . Cracks appeared on the average 8-
9 days after concreting or 5-7 days after removing the formwork. During the winter the spill-
way blocks were concreted in warm formwork which was not removed until summer. The rate of
cracking in the winter-poured spillway concrete was about half that of the concrete poured
in the summer.
During concreting situations repeatedly arose where the requirements of providing crack
resistance conflicted wlth the performance of work limiting the time of preparation or com-
pletion of individual stages of construction. In such instances secondary importance was, as
a rule, attached to the provision of crack resistance.
In August 1969 mass striking of the blocks forming the crest was carried out to provide
conditions for the passage of temporary discharges during first-stage excavation. The tem-
perature difference between the concrete and water for the blocks poured In June-July (about
75,000 m ~ of concrete) was 30-40 ~ which caused intense cracking immediately after flooding
the excavation. The effect of the low fall--winter air temperatures on the exposed faces of
the crest led both to the appearance of new cracks and to the development of some previously
formed ones into through cracks.
In 1971 rapid concreting of ii columns in sections 27-40 was carried out in the second-
stage excavation for laying the temporary crane rails. As a result a structure extended in
plan was constructed, inside which was a system of foundation galleries (upstream drainage
gallery and transverse through galleries). By the winter of 1971-1972 these were practical-
ly impossible to insulate from the cold alr. At thls time blasting was underway In the ex-
cavation for the powerhouse and the insulation was systematically destroyed. The overwhelm-
ing majority of cracks found in 1971 were ~ecorded on the walls and ceilings of the founda-
tion galleries.
Construction of the large concrete-hauling trestle, the foundations for the pylons of
which were the foundation blocks in the III and IV columns, was carried out at an advancing
rate. After concreting the pylons to a height of 1.5-3.5 m concreting of the columns was
stopped for a long time (more than 3-6 months). Such blocks of insignificant slze cooled at
a rate of 0.6-1.6 deg/day and were overcooled wlth respect to the rock foundation. Through
cracks were recorded in practically all blocks serving as the foundations for the trestle py-
lons. Cracks were not found In the foundation columns constructed to a height of 8-9 m.
The sections of the Ust-lllm dam, divided near the rock foundation into two columns
(h • =Ii x12 m), were joined (b • Z = 2 2 • m) at a distance of 11-20 m from the foundation.