The Influence of Ambient Temperature on the Curvature of Displacement in Prestressed Concrete Girders

When external factors disrupt the test’s measurement signals, it is challenging to determine damage inside a structure. The purpose of this study is to provide preliminary suggestions about measurement noise when displacement curvature is used as an input for damage detection. Specifically, this study examined the effect of ambient temperature on the displacement curvature of a prestressed concrete (PC) girder during six months. The findings demonstrate that external temperature affects the vertical movement of the PC girders. Curvature estimations based on experimental data revealed a proportionate correlation between the curvature and the ambient temperature. The amplitude of the curvature grew as the ambient temperature rose. The calculated curvature changes between ‒0.0264 mm−1 and ‒0.0379 mm−1 when the temperature rises by one degree. Additionally, the regression analysis establishes that changes in ambient temperature may account for around 81–93 percent of the variation in displacement curvature. Thus, the ambient temperature was not the only factor influencing this change.