Non-Uniform Temperature Field of Spatial Grid Structure under Construction Induced by Solar Radiation

The temperature of spatial structures under construction can have a significant non-uniform distribution induced by intense solar radiation. This temperature distribution affects the component assembly and results in closure difficulties, potentially causing safety hazards. A spatial grid structure model was designed and subjected to temperature field test under sunlight to study the temperature distribution of the structure and for comparison with numerical simulation methods. The distribution characteristics and the time-varying laws were analyzed based on the test data. Then, the ray-casting algorithm was introduced to analyze the shadow influence between members, so that the temperature distribution of the model was simulated accurately, which was verified by the test data. The results show that the spatial grid structure had an obvious non-uniform temperature distribution, with a maximum temperature rise of 16 °C when compared with ambient temperature and a maximum temperature difference between members of 11 °C. The variation laws were gained both from the test and the numerical simulation. The numerical simulation method proposed herein can be used to calculate the shadow distribution and the temperature field of the structure effectively. The research methods and conclusions can provide valuable references for thermal design, monitoring, and control of spatial grid structures.