Analysis of temperature and humidity fields in heated enclosure construction of bridge pile caps and optimal sensor placement

The heated enclosure method, widely adopted for winter concrete construction of bridge pile caps in cold regions, ensures controlled curing conditions. This study investigates the evolution of temperature and humidity in both concrete and the heated enclosure through a 1:12 scaled model test of a br...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yingying Wang, Quansheng Sun, Zhe Zhang, Yancheng Liu, Ziteng Gao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25005842
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Summary:The heated enclosure method, widely adopted for winter concrete construction of bridge pile caps in cold regions, ensures controlled curing conditions. This study investigates the evolution of temperature and humidity in both concrete and the heated enclosure through a 1:12 scaled model test of a bridge pile cap. The finite element software was employed to optimize the layout of internal monitoring points. Key findings include: Along the vertical direction, the concrete temperature exhibited an increasing gradient from top to bottom, with a maximum temperature difference of 2.4 °C, inversely correlated with the temperature variation inside the enclosure. Meanwhile, the humidity within the enclosure increased from top to bottom, with the lowest humidity at the enclosure ceiling reaching 73.7 %. On the horizontal plane, the concrete temperature decreased radially from the center to the periphery, yielding a maximum temperature difference of 12.6 °C. Both temperature and humidity on the air outlet side of the enclosure surpassed those on the adjacent side. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) integrated with finite element simulations was applied to optimize sensor placement, ensuring efficient monitoring accuracy.
ISSN:2214-157X