Validation of Temperature Simulations in a Portal Frame Bridge

Abstract

In the design of bridges, thermal loads are important to take into account since they can cause cracking if the structure or structural part is restrained from changing its size. Accurate thermal load values must therefore be used in bridge design, based on knowledge of the actual temperature distribution in the bridge. This paper presents the validation of a model for temperature simulation, to be used in future work in the determination of temperature differences between deck and abutments in portal frame bridges. The validation is performed by comparing simulated temperatures with temperatures measured at 13 locations in a portal frame bridge during a period of 12 months. The simulation model uses measured air temperature, wind speed and long- and short wave radiation as input to calculate the temperature for every hour in the time period, and includes the soil beside the bridge. The results show that the model was capable of predicting the temperature distribution adequately, and that conservative values of the temperature difference between the structural parts can be obtained by adding no more than a ΔT of 1.5 °C to the simulated temperature difference, depending on the application.