Temperature variation in steel beams subjected to thermal loads

The effects of atmospheric thermal loads on the response of structural elements that are exposed to open environments have been recognized by research works and design specifications. The main source of atmospheric heat is solar radiation, which dominates the variation of the temperature of air, earth surface and all exposed objects. The temperature distribution along the depth of steel members may differ with the geometry configuration, which means that the different-configuration steel members may suffer different thermally induced strains and stresses. In this research, an experimental steel beam was instrumented with many thermocouples in addition to other sensors. Surface temperatures, air temperature, solar radiation and wind speed measurements were recorded continuously for 21 summer days. Based on a finite element thermal analysis, which was verified using the experimental records, several parametric studies were directed to investigate the effect of the geometrical parameters of AISC standard steel sections on their thermal response. The results showed that the overall size of the beam, its depth and the thickness of its elements are of significant effect on vertical temperature distributions and temperature differences.