Field monitoring and numerical analysis of Tsing Ma Suspension Bridge temperature behavior

Abstract

It is important to take into account the effect of temperature in assessing the structural condition of bridges. However, very few quantitative studies have examined the temperature behavior of large-scale bridges because of their large size and complicated configuration. This paper, for the first time, investigates the temperature distribution and associated responses of a long-span suspension bridge-the 2132-m-long Tsing Ma Bridgethrough a combination of numerical analysis and field monitoring. With appropriate assumptions, fine finite element models of a deck plate, section frame, and bridge tower are constructed to facilitate thermal analysis. With ambient temperature measurements and a solar radiation model, the time-dependent temperature distribution within each of these components is calculated through transient heat transfer analysis. The numerical results are verified by comparing them with field monitoring data on temperature distribution and variation at different times and in different seasons. The temperature data are then input into the structural model of the whole bridge to obtain the displacement and strain responses of various bridge components, with a good level of agreement being achieved between the bridge responses and the monitoring data. This exercise verifies both the accuracy of the analytical method employed and the effectiveness of the monitoring system installed on the bridge. The study shows that integrating numerical analysis with field monitoring data provides for a thorough understanding of the temperature behavior of long-span bridges.

Measuring and modelling the thermal performance of the Tamar Suspension Bridge using a wireless sensor network

“…Since their results were based on four days of data collected during summer, the interesting findings of this study are not necessarily indicative of the general thermal behaviour of the bridge. Probably the most comprehensive study on steel bridges to date in this field involved the use of finite element heat transfer analysis and field monitoring data to investigate the temperature distribution and thermal response of the Tsing Ma Bridge (suspension, 1377 m main span) in Hong Kong (Xia, Chen, Bao, & Xu, 2010;Xia, Chen, Zhou, & Xu, 2012;. Due to significant differences between the climates of Asian and European countries, the thermal performance results reported from studies on bridges in Asia might not be directly applicable to European bridges.…”

Thermal Load in Large-Scale Bridges: A State-of-the-Art Review

“…It was strongly suggested that the nonuniform temperature distribution brought about by solar radiation should be considered in the design of curved bridges. Xia et al [46], for the first time, investigated the temperature distribution in a long-span suspension bridge-the 2132-m-long Tsing Ma Bridge-through finite element analysis. With appropriate assumptions, the bridge was divided into deck plate, section frame, and bridge tower, as shown in Figure 6.…”

The state of the art in structural health monitoring of cable-stayed bridges

“…Temperature has critical influence on the behavior of cable-stayed bridges, in particular long cable-stayed bridges and long suspension bridges [8,79]. Cao et al [12] comprehensively introduced the temperature distribution on girder, towers, and cables of a cable-stayed bridge and the behaviors of this bridge under temperature.…”