External Shrinkage Restraint for

Multi-Story Concrete Structures

In the load history deflection calculations, RAM Concept separates internal restraint of shrinkage (due to
reinforcement) from external restraint to shrinkage (due to stiff supports, rigid foundation, adjacent
levels, etc). While internal shrinkage restraint is rigorously accounted for in the strain/curvature
calculations at each cross section, external shrinkage restraint is approximated using the External
Shrinkage Restraint parameter in the Load History/ECR tab of the Calc Options dialog.

The purpose of this article is to establish an appropriate Shrinkage Restraint percentage to use for a
typical intermediate concrete floor in a multi-story structure. The calculations demonstrate how
construction sequence and varying shrinkage rates of adjacent levels affect external shrinkage restraint
and the expected, net differential shrinkage at each level. A similar example was originally presented in
a webinar titled “Designing for Temperature and Shrinkage Loadings in RAM Concept.”

Note that the following calculations are for a typical interior floor level of a multi-story structures, and
the conclusions should not be extrapolated to other floors, like the roof level of the same multi-story
structures or floors with unique conditions. A few other examples of floors where the following
calculations do not apply and special consideration may be required include: lower levels connected to
stiff foundations, podium slabs (especially those connected to basement walls around the entire
perimeter), transfer plates, interior floors with adjacent levels with different slab thicknesses or
geometries.

Problem Description
For a typical interior floor in a multi-story structure Floor(i), calculate the expected, net shrinkage strain
considering construction sequence and restraint of adjacent levels.

Assumptions:
Floor under consideration is a typical, interior floor in a multi-story structure.

Typical interior floors have same thickness and geometry.

Floors are moist-cured for a duration of 7-days.

No shrinkage occurs during the moist-cure duration.

∆
ACI 209 shrinkage model applies: 𝜀 = 𝜀
∆

Any given floor is primarily restrained by the floor immediately below and above the floor. Effects of
other floors above and below are assumed to be small and will be ignored.

Adjacent Floors act similar to springs in parallel – deformation of system is equal to the average
deformation of all floors.
Compressive strains are positive, and tensile strains are negative. Note that this is opposite of the
default sign convention used in RAM Concept.

Time Period 1: 0-7 Days After Floor Under Consideration is Cast

During this period, the floor under consideration, Floor(i), is in the moist cure period and does not
shrink. The floor below, Floor(i-1), is just outside the moist cure period and is shrinking at a rapid rate.
The shrinkage of Floor(i-1) is partially restrained by Floor(i).

Floor(i) Shrinkage

Floor(i) is in the moist cure period and no shrinkage occurs.

Floor(i-1) Shrinkage

At day 7, Floor(i-1) is subject to a shrinkage strain of:

7
∆𝜀 = 𝜀 = 0.1667𝜀
35 + 7

System – Deformation Compatibility

Based on the assumption that the floor in question is primarily restrained by the adjacent floor below
and that the floors behave like springs in parallel, the strain at each floor in the system is:
𝜀 ()+𝜀 ( )
𝜀 =
# 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑠

0 + 0.1667𝜀
𝜀 = = 0.0833𝜀
2 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑠

Floor(i) – Incremental/Net Strain

Floor(i) is subject to a net internal compressive stress associated with a net shrinkage strain of:

∆𝜀 () =𝜀 _ () = +0.0833𝜀
Time Period 2: 7-14 Days After Floor Under Consideration is Cast
During this period, Floor(i) is just outside the moist cure period and is shrinking at a rapid rate. Floor
(i+1) is cast above. That floor is in the moist cure period and does not shrink. Floor(i-1) is still shrinking
but at a slower rate than the previous period and at a slower rate than Floor(i).

Floor(i+1) Shrinkage

Floor(i+1) is in the moist cure period and no shrinkage occurs.

Floor(i) Shrinkage

At day 14, Floor(i) is outside the moist cure period and has been subject to shrinkage for the entire time
period (7 days):

7
∆𝜀 = 𝜀 = 0.1667𝜀
35 + 7

Floor(i-1) Shrinkage

For this time period, Floor(i-1) is subject to an incremental shrinkage strain of:

14 7
∆𝜀 = 𝜀 − 𝜀 = 0.1190𝜀
35 + 14 35 + 7

System – Deformation Compatibility

Based on the assumption that the floor in question is primarily restrained by adjacent floors and that the
floors behave like springs in parallel, the strain at each floor in the system is:
𝜀 ( ) +𝜀 ()+𝜀 ( )
𝜀 =
# 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑠
 0 + 0.1667𝜀 + 0.1190𝜀
𝜀 = = 0.0952𝜀
3 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑠

Floor(i) – Incremental/Net Strain

During this time period, Floor(i) tends to shrink at 0.1667shu but is forced to the system shrinkage strain
of 0.0952shu. This means that Floor(i) is subject to an internal tensile stress associated with a net
shrinkage strain:

∆𝜀 () = 0.0952𝜀 − 0.1667𝜀 = −0.0715𝜀

A net compressive strain of (+0.083shu) was locked into Floor(i) during the previous step. This means
that the total net stress in Floor(i) is associated with a small, net compressive strain:

𝜀 _ () = −0.0715𝜀 + 0.0833𝜀 = +0.0118𝜀

Time Period 3: 104 Days After Floor Under Consideration is Cast

Finally, consider a time period of 90 days after the previous time period (t = 104 days, t0 = 14 days). For
this period, the floors are shrinking at similar rates.

Floor(i+1) Shrinkage

Floor(i+1) is 90 days outside the moist cure period:

 90
∆𝜀 = 𝜀 = 0.7200𝜀
35 + 90

Floor(i) Shrinkage

At day 104, Floor(i) is outside the moist cure period and has been subject to shrinkage for 97 days. The
incremental shrinkage strain between the end of this time period and the previous time period is:

97 7
∆𝜀 = 𝜀 − 𝜀 = 0.5682𝜀
35 + 97 35 + 7

Floor(i-1) Shrinkage

At day 104, Floor(i-1) is outside the moist cure period and has been subject to shrinkage for the entire
period. The incremental shrinkage strain between the end of this time period and the previous time
period is:

104 14
∆𝜀 = 𝜀 − 𝜀 = 0.4625𝜀
35 + 104 35 + 14

System – Deformation Compatibility

Based on the assumption that the adjacent floors behave like springs in parallel, the strain at each floor
in the system is:
𝜀 ( ) +𝜀 ()+𝜀 ( )
𝜀 =
# 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑠

0.7200𝜀 + 0.5682𝜀 + 0.4625𝜀

𝜀 = = 0.5836𝜀
3 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑠

Floor(i) – Incremental/Net Strain

During this time period, Floor(i) tends to shrink at 0.5682shu but is forced to the system shrinkage strain
of 0.5836shu. This means that Floor(i) is subject to an internal tensile stress associated with a net
shrinkage strain:

∆𝜀 () = 0.5836𝜀 − 0.5682𝜀 = 0.0154𝜀

A net compressive strain of (+0.0118shu) was locked into Floor(i) during the previous step. The total net
stress in Floor(i) is then:

𝜀 _ () = 0.0118𝜀 + 0.0154𝜀 = +0.0272𝜀

Summary
The differential shrinkage strains at the end of the time periods considered in this example are
summarized in the following table.

The table below lists expected residual stress based on the maximum, differential strain at the end of
the Time Period 1 for a few typical concrete strengths.

This example shows that the induced residual shrinkage strains and corresponding stresses are small
and subject the concrete to compression as opposed to tension. As a result, they will have little or no
affect on the overall effect on the behavior of the floor. As noted previously, the same conclusion should
not be extrapolated to other floors with unique conditions for which the assumptions stated above
would not apply.