Experimental and numerical investigation on the temperature distribution of composite box‐girders with corrugated steel webs

Although composite box‐girders with corrugated steel webs have been widely applied in practical bridge constructions, the nonuniform temperature field in the composite box‐girders without sufficient study may lead to negative effects on the durability of bridge structures. Thus, this paper focuses on the temperature distribution characteristics of the composite box‐girder with corrugated steel webs. The temperature data of a corrugated steel web box‐girder specimen has been measured. An apparent nonuniform temperature distribution of the experimented specimen under solar radiation can be observed through the measured data. Then, the numerical simulation model of the corrugated steel web composite box‐girder specimen has been established and validated by the measured temperature data. Based on the verified simulation model, the temperature distribution of an actual composite box‐girder has been analyzed numerically. The results show that the difference between the vertical temperature gradients along the north and south sides of the girder can reach up to 11.9°C, and the maximum vertical temperature gradient can be more than 24.0°C in summer days. Moreover, parametric studies have been carried out to reveal the impacts of material parameters on the composite box‐girder's temperature distribution and the thermal loading index. Both the concrete and steel surface absorptivity show significant influences on the temperature distribution and the thermal loading index through the parametric study. It hopes that the current investigation can provide some contributions for further applications of the composite box‐girder with corrugated steel web, and other researches regarding temperature field of the structures.