Mass Concrete :

Mass Concrete Project

When the dimensions of the concrete formwork or the mold are too big as compared to everyday use is called Mass Concrete. There are undesirable thermal stresses, cracking, and the chemical reactions that will reduce the long term strength as a result of elevated concrete temperature due to the heat of hydration as a result of cement water reaction.

The rise in the temperature affect the strengthening of the concrete and produces cracks. This is a result of the large size of the mold and not proper curing can be done as it cannot reach the center of the mold.

This process is used in the construction of Dams and where width is large. To tackle the problem of high temperature there are water pipelines running through the core and maintaining the temperature for settling of the concrete and reduces the formation of the cracks. This was used in the Hoover Dam and if you drill the concrete you will still find the pipes which were used in the mass concrete process. 

Mass Concrete was also used in building beams and columns to bear the load where the width was as large as 4 m and more than ordinary steel building construction.