Experiences and analysis of the construction process of mass foundation slabs aimed at reducing the risk of early age cracks

Mass concrete members such as thick foundation slabs and blocks have always been an integral part of our human-created environment. Building with mass concrete is a challenging task as improper design or performance of the execution process may lead to considerable risk of thermal cracking. The presented paper is initially focused on a summary of experiences and recommendations in this field. Furthermore, real-life cases were referred and analysed to give insights on typical technological treatments reducing the possibility of cracking risk in mass foundation slabs. The abovementioned considerations were followed by the numerical analysis of the chosen technological treatments supposed to influence the hydration temperature and the level of thermal stress in massive foundation slabs. As a result, recommendations and guidelines for sufficient protection of the structure from cracking were formulated.