Wind Tunnel Validation of Vortex Method for Aerodynamic Coefficients

The increasing need of knowledge about the aerodynamic behaviour of bridge decks in the early stages of the design process has been answered with the CFD technique called Vortex Particle Method. Nevertheless, any implementation of this method needs to be extensively tested, ascertain and hence validated. As contribution to the RM2006 implementation, comparisons between experimental and numerical results are made. After initial classical fluid problems and simple parametric bridge cross sections tests, three Brazilian large cable-stayed bridge projects are presented: Paulicéia, Guamá and Roberto Marinho. Results corroborate the method and the implementation, demonstrating why its use is becoming increasingly acceptable.