Aerodynamic interference effects and mitigation measures on vortex-induced vibrations of two adjacent cable-stayed bridges

Abstract

By examining the two neighboring Haihe Bridges with semi- and full-closed bridge decks, the aerodynamic interference between the two decks on the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) and the corresponding aerodynamic mitigation measures are investigated via a series of wind tunnel tests with a spring-suspended sectional model aided with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The results show that the VIV responses of both bridges can be significantly affected by the aerodynamic interference and that the extent of the influence varies with the shapes of the windward and leeward decks. The VIV amplitudes of the windward bridge are often fairly close to those of the single bridge. However, those of the leeward bridge are magnified substantially by aerodynamic interference if the same structural and aerodynamic configurations are adopted for the two bridges. Otherwise, the VIV responses are not significantly increased and may even be reduced by the aerodynamic interference if different configurations are employed for the two bridges. Furthermore, an effective combined measure of adding wind barriers and sharpening the wind fairing noses of the two box decks is presented for mitigating both the vertical and torsional VIV responses of the windward and leeward bridges.