Validation of long-term temperature simulations in a steel-concrete composite girder

Temperature actions are taken into account in the design of bridges, as temperature variation can lead to structural deformation and stress. Accurate temperature actions values are a must for bridge design, which is based on the insight of genuine temperature field in the bridge. However, long-term thermal simulations and sufficient validations that are significant in the study of bridge temperature actions have not been presented. In this study, the shadow recognition method and a simulation model were developed and validated for long-term thermal simulation to be used in future studies on the determination of characteristic values of temperature actions in composite bridges. The validation study was conducted by comparing temperature variations and temperature actions between simulated results and test data measured in a composite girder for 15 months. The results show that the model is capable of calculating accurate temperature distribution and practical temperature actions. The model could be used in future studies and applied in more areas and bridges.