A method for nonlinear aerostatic stability analysis of long-span suspension bridges under yaw wind

Abstract

By using the nonlinear aerostatic stability theory together with the method of mean wind decomposition, a method for nonlinear aerostatic stability analysis is proposed for long-span suspension bridges under yaw wind. A corresponding program is developed considering static wind load nonlinearity and structural nonlinearity. Taking a suspension bridge with three towers and double main spans as an example, the full range aerostatic instability is analyzed under wind at different attack angles and yaw angles. The results indicate that the lowest critical wind speed of aerostatic instability is gained when the initial yaw angle is greater than 0o, which suggests that perhaps yaw wind poses a disadvantage to the aerostatic stability of a long span suspension bridge. The results also show that the main span in upstream goes into instability first, and the reason for this phenomenon is discussed.