• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.447-464
• /
• 2017

The flutter instability is one of the most important themes need to be carefully investigated in the design of long-span bridges. This study takes the central-slotted ideal thin flat plate as an object, and examines the characteristics of unsteady surface pressures of stationary and vibrating cross sections based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The flutter derivatives are extracted from the surface pressure distribution and the critical flutter wind speed of a long span suspension bridge is then calculated. The influences of angle of attack and the slot ratio on the flutter performance of central-slotted plate are investigated. The results show that the critical flutter wind speed reduces with increase in angle of attack. At lower angles of attack where the plate shows the characteristics of a streamlined cross-section, the existence of central slot can improve the critical flutter wind speed. On the other hand, at larger angles of attack, where the plate becomes a bluff body, the existence of central slot further reduces the flutter performance.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.82 no.4
• /
• pp.517-542
• /
• 2022

The effect of mean angle of wind attack on the flutter critical wind speed of two generic bridge deck cross-sections, viz, one closed box type streamlined section (deck-1) and closed box trapezoidal bluff type section with extended flanges/overhangs (deck-2) type of section have been studied using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based forced vibration simulation method. Owing to the importance of the effect of the amplitude of forcing oscillation on the flutter onset, its effect on the flutter derivatives and flutter onset have been studied, especially at non-zero mean angles of wind attack. The flutter derivatives obtained have been used to evaluate flutter critical wind speeds and flutter index of the deck sections at non-zero mean angles of wind attack studied and the same have been validated with those based on experimental results reported in literature. The value of amplitude of forcing oscillation in torsional degree of freedom for CFD based simulations is suggested to be in the range of 0.5° to 2°, especially for bluff bridge deck sections. Early onset of flutter from numerical simulations, thereby conservative estimate of occurrence of instability has been observed from numerical simulations in case of bluff bridge deck section. The study aids in gaining confidence and the extent of applicability of CFD during early stages of bridge design, especially towards carrying out studies on mean incident wind effects.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.127-140
• /
• 2003

An investigation into the effect of corner cuts on the Strouhal number of rectangular cylinders with various dimensional ratios and various angles of attack is described. The Strouhal number given as a function of corner cut size is obtained directly from the aerodynamic behavior of the body in a uniform flow through a series of wind-induced vibration tests. For a quick verification of the validity of the Strouhal numbers obtained in this way, they are compared with the approximated the Strouhal numbers based on Shiraishi's early research. The test results show that the Strouhal number of the model with various corner cuts has a fluctuating trend as the angle of attack changes. For each cutting ratio as the angle of attack increases at each cutting ratio above $15^{\circ}$, the Strouhal number decreases gradually, and these trends are more evident for larger corner cut sizes. However, a certain corner cut size which is effective in reducing the wind-induced vibration can be identified by larger Strouhal numbers than those of other corner cut sizes. Three distinct characteristics of Strouhal number variation can be identified in three regions which are termed as Region I, II, and III based on the general trend of the test results. It is also found that the corner cut is effective in one region (Region-II) and less effective in another one (Region-III) when only the vortex-induced vibration occurs.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.511-517
• /
• 2009

A servo type angle of attack sensor using the null-seeking method is designed and its characteristics are analyzed in this study. Angle-of-attack in the null-seeking method is given by the probe rotation angle with respect to the body reference line when pressure difference measured in two holes on the probe becomes zero. This method provides highly accurate and uniform angle-of-attack measurements over all range. Hence, this kind of angle-of-attack sensor is adequate for unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs). In this paper, we first analyze the requirements for developing angle-of-attack sensors. And the servo type angle-of-attack sensor is then designed and fabricated. The on-board angle-of-attack calculation algorithm is also developed. Finally, the characteristics of the developed angle-of-attack sensor are identified through MATLAB Simulink and wind tunnel tests.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.293-308
• /
• 2021

For the past three decades a significant amount of research has been conducted on bridge flutter. Wind tunnel tests for a 2000 m class twin-box suspension bridge have revealed that a twin-box deck carrying 4 m tall 50% open area ratio wind screens at the deck edges achieved higher critical wind speeds for onset of flutter than a similar deck without wind screens. A result at odds with the well-known behavior for the mono-box deck. The wind tunnel tests also revealed that the critical flutter wind speed increased if the bridge deck assumed a nose-up twist relative to horizontal when exposed to high wind speeds - a phenomenon termed the "nose-up" effect. Static wind tunnel tests of this twin-box cross section revealed a positive moment coefficient at 0° angle of attack as well as a positive moment slope, ensuring that the elastically supported deck would always meet the mean wind flow at ever increasing mean angles of attack for increasing wind speeds. The aerodynamic action of the wind screens on the twin-box bridge girder is believed to create the observed nose-up aerodynamic moment at 0° angle of attack. The present paper reviews the findings of the wind tunnel tests with a view to gain physical insight into the "nose-up" effect and to establish a theoretical model based on numerical simulations allowing flutter predictions for the twin-box bridge girder.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.41-61
• /
• 2015

The flutter stability of long-span suspension bridges during erection can be more problematic and more susceptible to be influenced by many factors than in the final state. As described in this paper, numerical flutter stability analyses were performed for the construction process of Zhongdu Bridge over Yangtze River using the commercial FE package ANSYS. The effect of the initial wind attack angle, the sequence of deck erection, the stiffness reduction of stiffening girders, the structural damping, and the cross cables are discussed in detail. It was found that the non-symmetrical sequence of deck erection was confirmed to be aerodynamically favourable for the deck erection of long-span suspension bridges and the best erection sequence should be investigated in the design phase. While the initial wind attack angle of $-3^{\circ}$ is advantageous for the aerodynamic stability, $+3^{\circ}$ is disadvantageous compared with the initial wind attack angle of $0^{\circ}$ during the deck erection. The stiffness reduction of the stiffening girders has a slight effect on the flutter wind speed of the suspension bridge during erection, but structural damping has a great impact on it, especially for the early erection stages.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.55-67
• /
• 2020

Wind tunnel test is one of the most important means to study the flutter performance of bridges, but there are blockage effects in flutter test due to the size limitation of the wind tunnel. On the other hand, the size of computational domain can be defined by users in the numerical simulation. This paper presents a study on blockage effects of a simplified box girder by computation fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, the blockage effects on the aerodynamic characteristics and flutter performance of a long-span suspension bridge are studied. The results show that the aerodynamic coefficients and the absolute value of mean pressure coefficient increase with the increase of the blockage ratio. And the aerodynamic coefficients can be corrected by the mean wind speed in the plane of leading edge of model. At each angle of attack, the critical flutter wind speed decreases as the blockage ratio increases, but the difference is that bending-torsion coupled flutter and torsional flutter occur at lower and larger angles of attack respectively. Finally, the correction formula of critical wind speed at 0° angle of attack is given, which can provide reference for wind resistance design of streamlined box girders in practical engineering.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.485-503
• /
• 2016

To investigate the nonlinear aerostatic stability of the Hutong cable-stayed rail-cum-road bridge with ultra-kilometer main span, a FEM bridge model is established. The tri-component wind loads and geometric nonlinearity are taken into consideration and discussed for the influence of nonlinear parameters and factors on bridge resistant capacity of aerostatic instability. The results show that the effect of initial wind attack-angle is significant for the aerostatic stability analysis of the bridge. The geometric nonlinearities of the bridge are of considerable importance in the analysis, especially the effect of cable sag. The instable mechanism of the Hutong Bridge with a steel truss girder is the spatial combination of vertical bending and torsion with large lateral bending displacement. The design wind velocity is much lower than the static instability wind velocity, and the structural aerostatic resistance capacity can meet the requirement.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.173-183
• /
• 2022

The galloping of iced conductors has long been a severe threat to the safety of overhead transmission lines. Compared with normal transmission lines, the ultra-high-voltage (UHV) transmission lines are more prone to galloping, and the damage caused is more severe. To control the galloping of UHV lines, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive analysis of galloping characteristics. In this paper, a large-span 1000-kV UHV transmission line in China is taken as a practical example where an 8-bundled conductor with D-shaped icing is adopted. Galerkin method is employed for the time history calculation. For the wind attack angle range of 0°~180°, the galloping amplitudes in vertical, horizontal, and torsional directions are calculated. Furthermore, the vibration frequencies and galloping shapes are analyzed for the most severe conditions. The results show that the wind at 0°~10° attack angles can induce large torsional displacement, and this range of attack angles is also most likely to occur in reality. The galloping with largest amplitudes in all three directions occurs at the attack angle of 170° where the incoming flow is at the non-iced side, due to the strong aerodynamic instability. In addition, with wind speed increasing, galloping modes with higher frequencies appear and make the galloping shape more complex, indicating strong nonlinear behavior. Based on the galloping amplitudes of three directions, the full range of wind attack angles are divided into five galloping regions of different severity levels. The results obtained can promote the understanding of galloping and provide a reference for the anti-galloping design of UHV transmission lines.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.57-68
• /
• 2018

Wind tunnel tests are conducted to investigate wake-induced vibrations of two circular cylinders with a center-to-center spacing of 4 diameters and attack angle varying from $0^{\circ}$ to $20^{\circ}$ for Reynolds numbers between 18,000 and 168,800. Effects of structural damping, Reynolds number, attack angle and reduced velocity on dynamic responses are examined. Results show that wake-induced vortex vibrations of the downstream cylinder occur in a wider range of the reduced velocity and have higher amplitudes in comparison to the vortex-induced vibration of a single circular cylinder. Two types of wake-induced instability phenomena with distinct dynamic characteristics are observed, which may be due to different generation mechanisms. For small attack angles like $5^{\circ}$ and $10^{\circ}$, the instability of the downstream cylinder characterizes a one-degree-of-freedom (1-DOF) oscillation moving in the across-wind direction. For a large attack angle like $20^{\circ}$, the instability characterizes a two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) oscillation with elliptical trajectories. For an attack angle of $15^{\circ}$, the instability can transform from the 1-DOF pattern to the 2-DOF one with the increase of the Reynolds number. Furthermore, the two instabilities show different sensitivity to the structural damping. The 1-DOF instability can be either completely suppressed or reduced to an unsteady oscillation, while the 2-DOF one is relatively less sensitive to the damping level. Reynolds number has important effects on the wake-induced instabilities.