Numerical simulation of temperature induced structural static responses for long-span suspension bridge

Temperature effect is one of the most significant and negative effects on bridges, even worse for long-span bridges. In this study, numerical simulation method of temperature induced structural static responses for long-span suspension bridge is investigated. The finite element (FE) models for transient thermal and structural analysis of a long-span suspension are developed, respectively. The thermal boundary conditions are calculated and applied on the thermal FE models for thermal analysis to obtain the variations and distributions of structural temperatures. Then, structural temperatures are loaded on the structural FE models for structural analysis to obtain the structural static responses such as vertical displacements, inclinations and strains. The results are compared with the field measurements to verify the validity and efficiency of this method. The method can provide a feasible and efficient way for analysis and assessment of the temperature effects on long-span suspension bridges.