Numerical investigation of the effects of pedestrian barriers on aeroelastic stability of a proposed footbridge

Taylor, I. J. and Vezza, M. and Salisbury, I (2008) Numerical investigation of the effects of pedestrian barriers on aeroelastic stability of a proposed footbridge. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 96 (12). pp. 2418-2437. ISSN 0167-6105

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    Abstract

    A numerical investigation into the aerodynamic characteristics and aeroelastic stability of a proposed footbridge across a motorway in the north of England has been undertaken. The longer than usual span, along with the unusual nature of the pedestrian barriers, indicated that the deck configuration was likely to be beyond the reliable limits of the British design code BD 49/01. In particular, the investigation focussed on the susceptibility of the bridge due to flutter, and to assess if the design wind speeds could be met satisfactorily. The calculations were performed using the discrete vortex method, DIVEX, developed at the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde. DIVEX has been successfully validated on a wide range of problems, including the aeroelastic response of bridge deck sections. The proposed deck configuration, which incorporated a pedestrian barrier comprised of angled flat plates, was found to be unstable at low wind speeds with the plates having a strong turning effect on the flow at the leading edge of the deck. DIVEX was used to assess a number of alternative design options, investigating the stability with respect to flutter for each configuration. Reducing the number of flat plates and their angle to the deck lessened the effect of the barrier on the overall aerodynamic characteristics and increased the stability of the bridge to an acceptable level, with the critical flutter speed in excess of the specified design speed.

    Creators(s): Taylor, I. J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0082-5542, Vezza, M. and Salisbury, I;
    Item type:Article
    ID code:6430
    Notes:Also presented at Sixth UK Conference on Wind Engineering, Cranfield, UK, 15-17 Sep 2004.
    Keywords:flutter, bridge, vortex Method, CFD, pedestrian barrier, aerodynamic characteristics, aeroelastic stability, critical flutter speed, Mechanical engineering and machinery, Bridge engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Building and Construction, Computational Mechanics, Numerical Analysis, Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
    Subjects:Technology > Mechanical engineering and machinery
    Technology > Bridge engineering
    Department:Faculty of Engineering > Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
    Depositing user: Strathprints Administrator
    Date deposited:18 Jun 2008
    Last modified:17 Feb 2020 02:53
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/6430
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