On the response of a bridge deck to turbulent wind: a new approach

In spite of getting the aerodynamic parameters to be used in numerical simulations of a bridge deck response to turbulent wind, wind tunnel tests play a crucial role. The aerodynamic admittance function is one of the most difficult to be measured since controlling the incoming flow turbulence spectrum is a primary need and because admittance is a function of the mean wind-to-deck relative angle changing in time and space. In the present paper, an active turbulence generator is proposed, capable to generate a controlled and easy-to-change 2D oscillating flow, making it possible to measure a complex admittance function instead of the commonly adopted real function. The main features of the flow given by the generator are analysed and evaluated and the preliminary results are discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.