Solar Radiation Parameters for Assessing Temperature Distributions on Bridge Cross-Sections

[...]empirical regression analyses or artificial intelligence techniques are used by researchers to establish the estimation models of daily global solar radiation based on different meteorological factors. 1. No temperature gauge was hung inside the side-by-side box girders. [...]the boundary condition of the internal surfaces of the side-by-side box girders was simulated using the 2D plane strain element with the thermal parameters of the air (0 °C and 100 °C) for the finite element model. The vertical temperature variation on the cross-section of side-by-side box girder when considering the effect of solar radiation (15.5 °C) was significantly larger than that without the consideration of solar radiation (5.3 °C) in summer. [...]the influence of solar radiation should be considered in the analyses of the temperature distribution on side-by-side box girders, especially for top flanges. 6.3. The vertical temperature variation on the cross-section of T-shaped girder when considering the effect of solar radiation (19.7 °C) was significantly larger than that without the consideration of solar radiation (6.5 °C) in summer. [...]the influence of solar radiation should be considered in the analyses of the temperature distribution on T-shaped girders, especially for top flanges and webs. 7.