Investigation and Analysis of the Influence of Environmental Factors on the Temperature Distribution of Thin-Walled Concrete

Abstract

The temperature field of thin-walled concrete is susceptible to the influence of the external environment, which may endanger the safety of its operation in projects. Therefore, it is essential for construction designers to conduct a full cycle experiment to clarify the influence of various environmental factors on thin-walled concrete temperature. In this paper, based on a long-term outdoor measurement experiment, the mean temperature and gradient temperature were both statistically analyzed seasonally, and two extreme gradient temperature patterns were identified and summarized. In addition, random forest regression was introduced to conduct a sensitivity analysis. It was found that the air temperature controlled the mean temperature and that solar radiation was the dominant factor affecting the gradient temperature, while the effect of wind speed was overall negligible. In addition, correlations between the concrete’s temperature and environmental factors were analyzed. It was concluded that the concrete’s mean temperature was positively and linearly correlated with the air temperature, while the minimum gradient temperature for the bottom shadow surface and maximum gradient temperature for the top shadow surface, respectively, had negative and positive linear correlations with the average solar radiation.