Thermal Contraction and Moisture Creep in Concrete.

The properties of concrete are being investigated for the last thirty years. Aside from the action of direct load, deformations are produced in concrete by changes in temperature and in moisture content. Concrete, like steel and other structural materials, expands when heated, and contracts when cooled. In general, the coefficient of thermal expansion for concrete is considered to be not much different from that of carbon steel which is 6.5 x 10 -6 per degree F. Therefore, these two materials are assumed to contract or expand together in reinforced concrete structures. [...