Comparative Analysis of Temperature and Stress Simulations in Mass Concrete for Sluice Gate Structures Based on Chinese and American Standards

Temperature-induced cracks during the construction of large concrete structures, such as water gates and bridges, caused by hydration heat, pose a serious threat to structural safety and reliability. To address this, various countries have developed temperature control standards and guidelines for mass concrete structures, providing design direction and evaluation criteria. China and the United States (U.S.) are leaders in the field of temperature control for mass concrete structures, with significant influence in international projects. The study of the differences in temperature control results between the two countries' standards not only helps to understand the impact of different regulations on temperature control design but also provides more design options for multinational projects. This study uses ABAQUS software (version 2023)to establish a finite element model of a water gate and employs secondary development of ABAQUS to simulate the temperature and stress fields under both Chinese and U.S. standards. The results indicate that the overall temperature and stress distributions of the structure are similar under both standards. The calculation results for internal and surface characteristic points show that the maximum temperature predicted by the Chinese standard is slightly higher than that of the U.S. standard, with a difference of no more than 1.7 °C. However, the maximum tensile stress calculated under the Chinese standard is lower than that of the U.S. standard, with internal stress differences not exceeding 0.23 MPa and surface stress differences not exceeding 0.56 MPa. This study provides a direct comparison of the temperature control results between the two standards, offering valuable insights for international projects to balance cost and safety, while also providing empirical evidence for optimizing national standards.