Vehicle-induced aerodynamic loads on highway sound barriers part1: field experiment

The vehicle-induced aerodynamic loads bring vibrations to some of the highway sound barriers, for they are designed in consideration of natural wind loads only. A field experiment is carried out with respect to three important factors: vehicle type, vehicle speed and the vehicle-barrier separation distance. Based on the results, the time-history of pressures is given, showing identical characteristics in all cases. Therefore, the vehicle-induced aerodynamic loads acting on the highway sound barrier are summarized as the combination of \"head impact\" and \"wake impact\". The head impact appears to have potential features, while the wake impact is influenced by the rotational flow. Then parameters in the experiment are analyzed, showing that the head impact varies with vehicle speed, vehicle-barrier separation distance, vehicle shape and cross-sectional area, while the wake impact is mainly about vehicle-barrier separation distance and vehicle length.