Experimental study and parametric analysis of temperature fields in corrugated web steel beams under solar radiation

The corrugated web steel beam (CWSB) is getting more and more applications in structural construction, while the concerns regarding the thermal effects caused by solar radiation on CWSB are limited. In this paper, a specimen was fabricated and instrumented with thermometers to obtain the temperature field characteristics of CWSB. Meanwhile, a numerical simulation method is established to describe its thermal behaviors under solar radiation. Comprehensive parametric studies are conducted to investigate the effects of environmental and geometrical parameters on the CWSB’s temperature field and the sensitivities of these parameters are subsequently determined. The solar radiation has the most obvious effects on the vertical temperature difference of CWSB, while its average temperatures are mainly dependent on the ambient air temperature. Additionally, comparison analysis has been carried to explore the differences in temperature field characteristics of steel beams having flat and corrugated webs. The discernible disparities in vertical temperature profiles of CWSB can be found among different sections, while the temperature profiles of the flat web steel beam are almost consistent at these sections. It hopes that the outcomes of this study can contribute to the temperature field of CWSB and provide some useful references for further investigations.