Experimental Investigations on Nonlinear Flutter Behaviors of a Bridge Deck with Different Leading and Trailing Edges

Abstract

Recently, the nonlinear flutter behavior of long-span suspension bridges has attracted attention. Unlike the classical theory of bridge flutter, the stable limit cycle oscillations (LCO) have occurred for some bluff aerodynamic configurations when the inflow velocity exceeded a specific critical value. To explore the influence of aerodynamic configurations on flutter behaviors a series of flutter tests for spring-suspended sectional models were conducted. When the leading edges and trailing edges with various shapes were installed at the sectional models, different flutter types occurred. In the test, the self-excited forces and flutter responses were measured. Then, the characteristics of coupling vibration and aerodynamic hysteresis of the two kinds of flutter were analyzed and compared. Finally, the role of the phase difference between self-excited forces and displacements was discussed in the mechanism difference of the classical flutter and the postflutter LCO. As the leading edge became the bluffer, the results showed that the type of flutter gradually transformed from classical divergent flutter to postcritical LCO and the torsional mode played a more important role in the flutter than in the vertical mode. For the postflutter LCO, there was a negative feedback pattern, i.e., as the vibration amplitude increased, the phase difference gradually decreased, and the energy input to the dynamic system did not grow rapidly, which limited the further vibration divergence and resulted in a stable LCO.