Wind-induced nonlinear behaviors of twin-box girder bridges with various aerodynamic shapes

Abstract

Wind-induced nonlinear oscillations of twin-box girder bridges are very sensitive to the aerodynamic shape of the deck (i.e., slot width ratio (SWR) and wind fairing shape) due to the complicated flow characteristics around the bridge deck. This paper presents a fully integrated finite element (FE) model in time domain, involving a nonlinear aerodynamic force model and a bridge FE model, to allow the investigation of nonlinear oscillation behaviors of long-span twin-box girder bridges with various SWRs and wind fairing shapes. The parameters in integrated FE model were firstly identified by using CFD simulation, and then, the proposed model was validated by conducting wind tunnel testing usi..