Adiabatic temperature rise (ATR), early-age strength development for a normal-strength concrete (NC) and a high-strength concrete (HSC) mixes widely used in bridge construction were experimentally determined. The hydration parameters and the heat of hydration of the two concrete mixes were compared. The temperature and developments and early-age cracking risk in a bridge pier using NC and HSC were then evaluated. The results show that when replacing NC with HSC, the pier cross section could be reduced by 35%, however, the temperature difference was slightly greater and the thermal cracking was very high. To effectively use HSC with a minimal cracking risk, the concrete should be covered with insulation materials during construction. The study is of great significance to notice the engineers to take special measures in the design and construction of modern concrete materials (e.g., high-strength and high-performance concrete) for minimizing risk of cracking in the structures and optimizing the construction schedules.

实验确定了绝热温升（ATR），普通强度混凝土（NC）和高强度混凝土（HSC）混合料在桥梁施工中的早期强度发展。比较了两种混凝土混合物的水合参数和水合热。然后评估了使用NC和HSC进行的桥墩的温度，发展和早期开裂风险。结果表明，当用HSC代替NC时，桥墩横截面可减小35％，但是，温差略大，热裂纹非常高。为了以最小的开裂风险有效地使用HSC，混凝土在施工期间应覆盖绝缘材料。