In order to investigate the cracking propagation in the
concrete bloc exposed to low temperature, The ANSYS finite
element code has been employed for performing a sequential, non
linear, transient thermal-structural analysis, taking into account the
thermal dependent properties of the concrete as thermal conductivity
and specific heat. Temperature distribution data of thermal analysis is
required in the coupled field analysis finally to obtain and analyze
thermal stresses.
An original concept based on three dimensional stress states of the
integrations points in each finite element is described. The global
relative crack density (GRCD) is suggested to denote the cracking
state of the entire concrete bloc, which may serve as an appropriate
index to evaluate the overall deterioration level of the structure.