Experimental and simulation analysis of thermal behavior of large‐span roof system under solar radiation

Abstract

SummaryThe large‐span metal roof systems can produce a significant nonuniform temperature effect under solar radiation, leading to potential safety hazards. An experiment is conducted to study the nonuniform thermal behavior of a small‐scale continuous welded stainless steel roof (CWSSR) system under solar radiation. The small‐scale CWSSR system considered different roof slopes and sunward side and nightside. The efficiency of the numerical analysis of the thermal behavior of the roof slab is verified in comparison with the experimental results. Based on the numerical and experimental results, the thermal effect of a full‐scale CWSSR system is studied under different orientations, wind speeds, and atmospheric temperature. Through the analysis of research results, the nonuniform thermal features of the CWSSR system are significant and cannot be overlooked. The temperature difference between the sunward side and nightside roof slab is positively correlated with the roof slope. The thermal behavior of the CWSSR system is greatly influenced by wind speeds but is less affected by orientations and atmospheric temperature.