EFFECT OF NUMBER AND DISTRIBUTION OF SHEAR CONNECTORS ON THE COMPOSITE BOX-GIRDER BRIDGE UNDER ENVIRONMENTAL THERMAL CONDITIONS

Abstract

This research deals with the thermal and thermo-structural behavior of concrete-steel composite box-girder bridges under the amalgamation of environmental thermal loads: global solar radiation, ambient air temperature, and wind speed. To achieve this goal, the experimental composite box-girder bridge segment with a full-scale cross-section erected on a campus of Gaziantep University, Turkey; and the series of numerical thermal analyses are conducted. The hourly fluctuations of the numerical temperatures matched well with the experimental ones. This research also submits a theoretical extensive study of the effect of shear connector’s number and arrangement at the concrete-steel interface on the hourly vertical thermal movements with an emphasis on the degree of composite interaction. Under partial interaction, the hourly vertical thermal displacements findings are presented to more visualize the design life of such constructions, as well as, the economic aspects as regards climatic impacts.