Open Access

ARTICLE

How Do Water Filled Traffic Barriers Shake a Suspension Bridge?

Guanni Qu^1,#, Tianai Yue^2,#,*, Xiaoyu Zhang³, Shibiao Wei³
1 The Shipley School, Bryn Mawr, USA
2 Tianjin Nankai High School, Tianjin, China
3 Xi’an Gaoxin No. 1 High School, Xi’an, China
* Corresponding Author: Tianai Yue. Email:
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: EFD and Heat Transfer III)

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2022, 18(3), 591-608. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2022.017776

Received 06 June 2021; Accepted 08 September 2021; Issue published 22 February 2022

Abstract

The present study stems from the realization that the general problem relating to the analysis of wind-induced vibrations in suspension bridges still requires significant attention. Sidewalk railings, overhaul tracks, and deflectors are known to largely affect such dynamics. Here, the influence of a row of water-filled traffic barriers on the response of a sample suspension bridge is investigated numerically. It is shown that the existence of water barriers causes flow separation and non-negligible vortices with respect to the condition with no water barriers. The vortex shedding frequency at the far end is around 41.30 Hz, relatively close to the real vibration frequency. It is also shown how different incoming angles of attack can change the flow field around the bridge cross-section and the vortex detachment frequency.

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Keywords

Suspension bridge; water filled traffic barriers; computational fluid dynamics; vortex shedding frequency; attack angle; vibration

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