Aerodynamic properties of a streamlined bridge-girder under the interference of trains

Trains emerging on a streamlined bridge-girder may have salient interference effects on the aerodynamic properties of the bridge. The present paper aims at investigating these interferences by wind tunnel measurements, covering surface pressure distributions, near wake profiles, and flow visualizations. Experimental results show that the above interferences can be categorized into two primary effects, i.e., an additional angle of attack (AoA) and an enhancement in flow separation. The additional AoA effect is demonstrated by the upward-moved stagnation point of the oncoming flow, the up-shifted global symmetrical axis of flow around the bridge-girder, and the clockwise-deflected orientation of flow approaching the bridgegirder. Due to this additional AoA effect, the two critical AoAs, where flow around the bridge-girder transits from trailing-edge vortex shedding (TEVS) to impinging leading-edge vortices (ILEV) and from ILEV to leading-edge vortex shedding (LEVS) of the bridge-girder are increased by 4° with respect to the same bridge-girder without trains. On the other hand, the underlying flow physics of the enhancement in flow separation is the large-scale vortices shedding from trains instead of TEVS, ILEV, and LEVS governed the upper half bridge-girder without trains in different ranges of AoA. Because of this enhancement, the mean lift and moment force coefficients, all the three fluctuating force coefficients (drag, lift, and moment), and the aerodynamic spanwise correlation of the bridge-girder are more significant than those without trains.