Open Field Temperature and Strain Records of a Concrete-Steel Composite Beam

Abstract Open field structures, like bridges, are loaded with the typical static, moving and dynamic loads in addition to the open-field thermal loads. These loads include the time-dependent changing of solar radiation and air temperature in addition to the speed of this air. Due to the importance of bridge structures and their high construction costs and long planned life spans, special focus are given to the thermal response of these structures in bridge design codes. With the advances of construction technologies and the use of new composite materials and configurations, updates in code specifications become required, which make the researches in this field of a vital and continuous need. An experimental concrete-steel composite beam with special configuration was cast and installed in an open field. Several temperature and strain sensors in addition to metrological sensors were used to observe its long-term thermal response. The presented experimental records can be helpful for a better understanding of the thermal behavior of such configuration of composite beams under open-field thermal loads. Along two-month cold-season measurements, a maximum temperature difference, within the beam body, of 13.3 °C was recorded, with maximum net tensile and compression thermal strains of 40 and 110 micro-strains