Advanced flutter simulation of flexible bridge decks

In this paper a bridge flutter prediction is performed by using advanced numerical simulation. Two novel approaches were developed simultaneously by utilizing the ANSYS v12.1 commercial software package. The first one is a fluid-structure interaction simulation involving the three-dimensional elastic motion of a bridge deck and the fluid flow around it. The second one is an updated forced oscillation technique based on the dynamic mode shapes of the bridge. An aeroelastic wind tunnel model was constructed in order to validate the numerical results. Good agreement between the numerical results and the measurements proves the applicability of the novel methods in bridge flutter assessment.