Wind and Structures

Volume 9, Number 1, 2006, pages 59-74

DOI: 10.12989/was.2006.9.1.059

On the mechanism of vertical stabilizer plates for improving aerodynamic stability of bridges

Airong Chen, Zhiyong Zhou and Haifan Xiang

Abstract

Vertical stabilizer plates have been found to be an effective aerodynamic measure to improve the aerodynamic stability of bridges either with an open cross section or with a streamlined box cross section in wind tunnel testings and have been adopted in some long span bridges. By taking an open deck II-shaped section and a closed box section as examples, the mechanism of vertical stabilizer plates for improving aerodynamic stability are investigated by using numerical simulation based on Random Vortex Method. It is found that vertical stabilizer plates can increase the amplitude of the heaving motion, and decrease that of the rotational motion of the bridge decks.

Key Words

bridge deck; aerodynamic stability; aerodynamic measure; vertical stabilizer plate; random vortex method (RVM).

Address

State Key Laboratory for Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering, Department of Bridge Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China