• Wind and Structures
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.223-239
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• 2015

Open decks are a widely used deck configuration in long-span cable-stayed bridges; however, incorporating aerodynamic countermeasures are advisable to achieve better aerodynamic performance than a bluff body deck alone. A sectional model of an open deck cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 400 m was selected to conduct a series of wind tunnel tests. The influences of five practical aerodynamic countermeasures on flutter and vortex-induced vibration (VIV) performance were investigated and are presented in this paper. The results show that an aerodynamic shape selection procedure can be used to evaluate the flutter stability of decks with respect to different terrain types and structural parameters. In addition, the VIV performance of $\prod$-shaped girders for driving comfortableness and safety requirements were evaluated. Among these aerodynamic countermeasures, apron boards and wind fairings can improve the aerodynamic performance to some extent, while horizontal guide plates with 5% of the total deck width show a significant influence on the flutter stability and VIV. A wind fairing with an angle of $55^{\circ}C$ showed the best overall control effect but led to more lock-in regions of VIV. The combination of vertical stabilisers and airflow-depressing boards was found to be superior to other countermeasures and effectively boosted aerodynamic performance; specifically, vertical stabilisers significantly contribute to improving flutter stability and suppressing vertical VIV, while airflow-depressing boards are helpful in reducing torsional VIV.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.39-56
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• 2023

To ensure the wind stability of a long-span suspension bridge during deck erection under skew wind, based on the aerostatic and self-excited aerodynamic force models under skew wind, a computational approach of refined flutter analysis for long-span bridges under skew wind is firstly established, in which the effects of structural nonlinearity, the static wind action and full-mode coupling etc are fully considered, and the corresponding computational procedure is programmed. By taking the Runyang suspension bridge over the Yangtze River as example, the flutter stability of the bridge in completion under skew wind is then analyzed with the aerodynamic parameters of a similar bridge deck measured from the sectional model wind tunnel test under skew wind. Finally, through simulating the girder segments erected symmetrically from the midspan to towers, from the towers to midspan and simultaneously from the towers and midspan to the quarter points, respectively, the evolutions of flutter stability limits during the deck erection under skew wind are investigated numerically, the favorable aerodynamically deck erection sequence is proposed, and the influences of skew wind and static wind effect on the flutter stability of suspension bridge under construction are ascertained.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.561-577
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• 2013

Rational Functions are used to express the self-excited aerodynamic forces acting on a flexible structure for use in time-domain flutter analysis. The Rational Function Approximation (RFA) approach involves obtaining of these Rational Functions from the frequency-dependent flutter derivatives by using an approximation. In the past, an algorithm was developed to directly extract these Rational Functions from wind tunnel section model tests in free vibration. In this paper, an algorithm is presented for direct extraction of these Rational Functions from section model tests in forced vibration. The motivation for using forced-vibration method came from the potential use of these Rational Functions to predict aerodynamic loads and response of flexible structures at high wind speeds and in turbulent wind environment. Numerical tests were performed to verify the robustness and performance of the algorithm under different noise levels that are expected in wind tunnel data. Wind tunnel tests in one degree-of-freedom (vertical/torsional) forced vibration were performed on a streamlined bridge deck section model whose Rational Functions were compared with those obtained by free vibration for the same model.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.179-196
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• 2003

A long suspension bridge is often located within a unique wind environment, and strong winds at the site seldom attack the bridge at a right angle to its long axis. This paper thus investigates the buffeting response of long suspension bridges to skew winds. The conventional buffeting analysis in the frequency domain is first improved to take into account skew winds based on the quasi-steady theory and the oblique strip theory in conjunction with the finite element method and the pseudo-excitation method. The aerodynamic coefficients and flutter derivatives of the Tsing Ma suspension bridge deck under skew winds, which are required in the improved buffeting analysis, are then measured in a wind tunnel using specially designed test rigs. The field measurement data, which were recorded during Typhoon Sam in 1999 by the Wind And Structural Health Monitoring System (WASHMS) installed on the Tsing Ma Bridge, are analyzed to obtain both wind characteristics and buffeting responses. Finally, the field measured buffeting responses of the Tsing Ma Bridge are compared with those from the computer simulation using the improved method and the aerodynamic coefficients and flutter derivatives measured under skew winds. The comparison is found satisfactory in general.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.263-278
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• 2003

This study investigates the effects of a bridge deck's width-to-depth (B/H) ratio and turbulence on buffeting response and flutter critical wind speed of long-span bridges by conducting section model tests. A streamlined box section and a plate girder section, each with four B/H ratios, were tested in smooth and turbulent flows. The results show that for the box girders, the response increases with the B/H ratio, especially in the vertical direction. For the plate girders, the vertical response also increases with the B/H ratio. However, the torsional response decreases as the B/H ratio increases. Increasing the B/H ratio and intensity of turbulence tends to improve the bridge's aerodynamic stability. Experimental results obtained from the section model tests agree reasonably with the calculated results obtained from a numerical analysis.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.699-713
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• 2020

The aerodynamic performance of long-span cable-stayed bridges is much dependent on its geometrical configuration and countermeasure strategies. In present study, the aerodynamic performance of three composite cable-stayed bridges with different tower configurations and passive aerodynamic countermeasure strategies is systematically investigated by conducting a series of wind tunnel tests in conjunction with theoretical analysis. The structural characteristics of three composite bridges were firstly introduced, and then their stationary aerodynamic performance and wind-vibration performance (i.e., flutter performance, VIV performance and buffeting responses) were analyzed, respectively. The results show that the bridge with three symmetric towers (i.e., Bridge I) has the lowest natural frequencies among the three bridges, while the bridge with two symmetric towers (i.e., Bridge II) has the highest natural frequencies. Furthermore, the Bridge II has better stationary aerodynamic performance compared to two other bridges due to its relatively large drag force and lift moment coefficients, and the improvement in stationary aerodynamic performance resulting from the application of different countermeasures is limited. In contrast, it demonstrates that the application of both downward vertical central stabilizers (UDVCS) and horizontal guide plates (HGP) could potentially significantly improve the flutter and vortex-induced vibration (VIV) performance of the bridge with two asymmetric towers (i.e., Bridge III), while the combination of vertical interquartile stabilizers (VIS) and airflow-depressing boards (ADB) has the capacity of improving the VIV performance of Bridge II.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2007

The suppression of aerodynamic response of long-span suspension bridges during erection and after completion by using single TMD and multi TMD is presented in this paper. An advanced finite-element-based aerodynamic model that can be used to analyze both flutter instability and buffeting response in the time domain is also proposed. The frequency-dependent flutter derivatives are transferred into a time-dependent rational function, through which the coupling effects of three-dimensional aerodynamic motions under gusty winds can be accurately considered. The modal damping of a structure-TMD system is analyzed by the state-space approach. The numerical examples are performed on the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge with a main span of 1990 m. The bridge is idealized by a three-dimensional finite-element model consisting of 681 nodes. The results show that when the wind velocity is low, about 20 m/s, the multi TMD type 1 (the vertical and horizontal TMD with 1% mass ratio in each direction together with the torsional TMD with ratio of 1% mass moment of inertia) can significantly reduce the buffeting response in vertical, horizontal and torsional directions by 8.6-13%. When the wind velocity increases to 40 m/s, the control efficiency of a multi TMD in reducing the torsional buffeting response increases greatly to 28%. However, its control efficiency in the vertical and horizontal directions reduces. The results also indicate that the critical wind velocity for flutter instability during erection is significantly lower than that of the completed bridge. By pylon-to-midspan configuration, the minimum critical wind velocity of 57.70 m/s occurs at stage of 85% deck completion.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.221-238
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• 2011

The estimated response of large-scale engineering structures to severe wind loads is prone to modelling uncertainties that can only ultimately be assessed by full-scale testing. To this end ambient vibration data from full-scale monitoring of the historic Clifton Suspension Bridge has been analysed using a combination of a frequency domain system identification method and a more elaborate stochastic identification technique. There is evidence of incipient coupling action between the first vertical and torsional modes in strong winds, providing unique full-scale data and making this an interesting case study. Flutter derivative estimation, which has rarely previously been attempted on full-scale data, was performed to provide deeper insight into the bridge aerodynamic behaviour, identifying trends towards flutter at higher wind speeds. It is shown that, as for other early suspension bridges with bluff cross-sections, single-degree-of-freedom flutter could potentially occur at wind speeds somewhat below requirements for modern designs. The analysis also demonstrates the viability of system identification techniques for extracting valuable results from full-scale data.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.423-437
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• 2021

Aerodynamic measures have been widely used for improving the flutter stability of long-span bridges, and this paper focuses their windproof ability to improve the wind environment for vehicles. The whole wind environment around a long-span bridge located in high altitude mountainous areas is first studied. The local wind environment above the deck is then focused by two perspectives. One is the windproof effects of aerodynamic measures, and the other is whether the bridge with aerodynamic measures meets the requirement of flutter stability after installing extra wind barriers in the future. Furthermore, the effects of different wind barriers are analyzed. Results show that aerodynamic measures exert potential effects on the local wind environment, as the vertical stabilizer obviously reduces wind velocities behind it while the closed central slot has limited effects. The suggested aerodynamic measures have the ability to offset the adverse effect of the wind barrier on the flutter stability of the bridge. Behind the wind barrier, wind velocities decrease in general, but in some places incoming flow has to pass through the deck with higher velocities due to the increase in blockage ratio. Further comparison shows that the wind barrier with four bars is optimal.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.267-277
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• 2000

This paper aims to describe the aerodynamic vibrations of various structural elements of bridges, which are particular issues at present. The aerodynamic countermeasures for those vibrations are also discussed considering the generation mechanisms of the aerodynamic instabilities. In this paper, an example of vortex-induced oscillation of bridge deck and its lesson are discussed. Next, the wind-induced cable vibration and its aerodynamic countermeasures are reviewed. Then, the aerodynamic characteristics on two edge girders and their feasibility for application to long span cable-stayed bridges are considered. Furthermore, the bridge decks for future long span bridges are proposed and their aerodynamic characteristics are also discussed.