• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2018

The Zhuhai Opera House has an external structure consisting of a type of spatial steel, where the stress of steel elements varies with the ambient temperature. A structural health monitoring system was implemented at Zhuhai Opera House, and the temperatures and stresses of the structures were monitored in real time. The relationship between the stress distribution and temperature variations was analysed by measuring the temperature and stresses of the steel elements. In addition to measurements of the structure stresses and temperatures, further simulation analysis was carried out to provide the detailed relationship between the stress distributions and temperature variations. The limited temperature measurements were used to simulate the structure temperature distribution, and the stress distributions of all steel elements of the structure were analysed by building a finite element model of the Zhuhai Opera House spatial steel structure. This study aims to reveal the stress distributions of steel elements in a real-world project based on temperature variations, and to supply a basic database for the optimal construction time of a spatial steel structure. This will not only provide convenient, rapid and safe early warnings and decision-making for the spatial steel structure construction and operation processes, but also improve the structural safety and construction accuracy of steel space structures.