Effects of stress during heating on strength and stiffness of concrete at elevated temperature

Concrete in structures exposed to high temperatures is practically always heated under stress. Yet, there are few experimental studies in which the concrete was heated under stress and then loaded to the peak, and most of these were performed under uniaxial compression. This paper reports on an experimental study of the effects of different heat–load regimes on the stress–strain behaviour of partially sealed concrete under multiaxial compression, at elevated temperature. The specimens were first heated (stressed/unstressed), then loaded to the peak in multiaxial compression. In contrast with previous experimental research, the results show that concrete heated under relatively low compressive stress has lower strength and stiffness than concrete heated without load. The results suggest that the presence of stress during first heating produces a specific damage, which could be the cause for a major component of the load induced thermal strain (LITS) in concrete.