Computational Methods and Ocean Technology (COTech 2023)

Wind engineering studies on Lysefjord suspension bridge: Development of work and progress from 2013 to 2023

Not scheduled

20m

KE E-102 (University of Stavanger)

Wind Engineering and Industrial aerodynamics

Speaker

Prof. Jonas T. Snæbjornsson (Reykjavik University, University of Stavanger)

Description

This contribution provides an overview of the wind engineering studies conducted at the Lysefjord bridge in Norway from 2013 to 2023. The study was initiated to investigate the bridge wind-induced response in natural atmospheric flow, in complex terrain. The bridge's structural response under varying wind conditions has been examined using a weather station, sonic anemometers, and accelerometers as the key sensors. The data acquired has been used to finetune theoretical models for bridge response estimation, as well as to gain more insight into the wind interaction with the bridge deck. The current setup with 10 anemometers in total allows one to capture the three-dimensional flow passage across the bridge deck, giving a valuable information on the wind loading generation in full-scale, for the dominating flow directions which are „skewed“ with respect to the bridge axis.
Throughout the course of the study, the bridge has become a venue for several innovative wind engineering studies. These include the pioneering applications of the remote wind sensing in bridge engineering, both to map the incoming wind flow as well as to capture the wind-bridge interaction in full-scale. Another example is development of a „non-invasive“ system for surface wind pressure measurements, with pressure sensors embedded in tailored „strips“ stretched around the bridge deck from the railings.
The intention is to review the measurement systems deployed, discuss some of the challenges associated with full-scale measurements and present some key results from the data analysis.
The strength of the research presented lies in the comprehensive and long-term investigation of wind effects on the Lysefjord bridge, which has through a combination of experimental and computational approaches provided a holistic understanding of the bridge's behaviour. The findings from this study will be valuable for wind engineering researcher, bridge design, and infrastructure management.