Journal of Materials and Engineering Structures
Volume 13, Numéro 3, Pages 493-503
2026-09-30
Influence Of Solar Radiation On The Design Positioning Of Bearing Components In Road Bridge Superstructures
Authors : Thi Thuy Van Tran . Gridnev S.yu. . Nenashev D. S. . Minaeva N.v. . Pham Ngoc Vuong .
Abstract
Solar radiation represents a dominant climatic action influences the deformation behaviour and serviceability performance of highway bridge superstructures. Due to daily and seasonal variations in ambient temperature and solar position, bridge spans are subjected to non-uniform and time-dependent temperature fields, which may induce spatial thermal deformation and lead to deviations of bearing components from their intended design positioning. This study investigates the influence of solar radiation on the design positioning of bearing components in a road bridge superstructure with an orthotropic steel deck. A refined three-dimensional finite element model is developed using the LIRA-SAPR software, incorporating temperature fields obtained from in-situ measurements, temperature-dependent mechanical properties and shear rigidity of pavement layers, and a staged analysis procedure implemented through the installation subsystem. The numerical results are validated against instrumental field measurements of temperature and bearing displacement. The analysis reveals that non-uniform solar radiation produces asymmetric longitudinal and transverse displacements of movable bearing components, which cannot be adequately captured by simplified thermal assumptions commonly used in design practice. The maximum deviation of bearing positioning reaches values comparable to, and in some cases exceeding, those commonly considered in design practice. The results highlight the spatial nature of thermally induced deformation and demonstrate the necessity of explicitly accounting for solar radiation effects when determining the design positioning and serviceability performance of bearing components in road bridge superstructures.
Keywords
Road Bridge Superstructures ; Supporting Parts ; Design Positioning ; Solar Radiation ; Spatial Thermal Deformation
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