Analysis of thermal behavior on concrete box-girder arch bridges under convection and solar radiation. Issue 7 (July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Yongbao; Zhan, Yulin; Zhao, Renda
• Is Part Of: Advances in structural engineering. Volume 19:Issue 7(2016)
• Page Start: 1043
• Page End: 1059
• Publication Date: 2016-07
• Subjects: box-girder -- concrete arch bridges -- convection -- finite element model -- solar radiation -- stress -- thermal behavior; Structural engineering -- Periodicals; Construction, Technique de la; Structural engineering; Periodicals; 624.1
• DOI: 10.1177/1369433216630829
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1369-4332

Abstract

The two-dimensional finite element method can be used to calculate the thermal field distribution of prestressed concrete bridge girders. However, this method is not appropriate for the concrete box-girder arch bridges, because they have different azimuth and dip angles at the top and bottom flanges along arch axis. Thus, an experimental and analytical study was conducted on a concrete box-girder arch bridge located in Guizhou, China, to investigate the thermal behavior under convection and the solar radiations. To determine the vertical temperature gradients, a two-dimensional plane finite element model was used to calculate the thermal field based on meteorological parameter methods. In addition, the three-dimensional beam finite element model was proposed to study the thermal stress and displacement of arch bridges using the vertical temperature gradients. Finally, the thermal behavior of the concrete box-girder arch bridges determined by the two-dimensional plane and three-dimensional beam finite element model was verified by three-dimensional solid finite element model.