Abstract:In the early stage of pouring large-tonnage concrete box girders, the phenomenon of hydration heat is the key factor causing early cracking. Taking the 35 m precast box girder of a project in Wenzhou as an example, a tracking study on early hydration heat was conducted. The results show that the temperature undergoes a typical change of "gradually increasing - maintaining high temperature - gradually decreasing" during the initial hydration heat process of the 35 m box beam. The highest temperature caused by the hydration heat occurs in the core of the right web of the S1 section at the end of the box beam. The peak temperature reaches 66.7 ℃, which occurs in the 41 st hour after pouring. And the maximum temperature difference between the inside and outside of the concrete occurs between the left top web plate core and the outer surface layer of the S1 section at the end of the box girder, with a temperature difference of up to 23.6 °C, which occurs in the 46 th hour after pouring. Due to the thicker web at the end of the box girder, its internal heat dissipation is slower, resulting in a relatively slow cooling rate in this area. In addition, the ambient temperature has a significant effect on the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the box girder. Based on these findings, the effective measures to prevent temperature cracks are proposed. The research results have important reference value for the design and construction of large-tonnage box girders.