FINITE ELEMENT THERMAL ANALYSIS OF DEEP BOX-GIRDERS

A three-dimensional thermal analysis using the finite element method was conducted in this research to evaluate the heat conduction in deep concrete box-girder bridges considering the temperature change of air, the thermal radiation from the sun and the speed of the wind. The current finite element analysis has predicted the concrete temperatures effectively with temperature errors ranged between 0.1 oC and 1.7 oC. The proposed finite element model was then used to evaluate the distribution of temperature in deep concrete box-girders considering the weather conditions of Gaziantep, Turkey. The weather data including solar radiation, air temperature and wind speed for a hot summer day were recorded from a specially installed weather station in the campus of the University of Gaziantep. The results showed that the AASHTO's gradient model was almost identical with the predicted temperature gradients at the top and the bottom surfaces and along the clear depth of the webs. However, the behavior along the top 1 m was different.