Regression Tree Ensemble to Forecast the Thermally-induced Response of Long-Span Bridges

The ambient temperature is a critical factor affecting the deformation of long-span bridges, due to its seasonal fluctuations. Although there exist various sensor technologies and measurement techniques to extract the actual structural response in terms of the displacement field, this is a demanding task in long-term monitoring. To address this challenge, data prediction looks as the best solution. In this paper, the thermal-induced response of two long-span bridges are forecasted with a regression tree ensemble method in conjunction with a Bayesian hyperparameter optimization, adopted to tune the proposed regressor. Results testify that the offered method is reliable when there is a linear correlation between the temperature and the induced structural deformation, hence in terms of the thermally-induced displacement field.