Advances in Numerical Bridge Aerodynamics and Recent Applications

Aerodynamic aspects are a major design factor in bridge engineering today. Whilst wind tunnel testing is the standard procedure for the assessment of the aerodynamic behaviour of bridge decks, numerical methods can provide a suitable supplement and offer further insight into flow properties. Here the two-dimensional Vortex Particle Method is discussed as a means to solve the underlying Navier-Stokes equations numerically. This well-known technique, which has been extensively used for the study of aeroelastic phenomena due to its flexibility and speed, has been extended to allow further improvements. A novel hybrid Particle-Mesh algorithm is developed which achieves a highly efficient particle velocity computation. This allows for a large number of computational elements and thus high-resolution simulations at modest computational cost. Applications of the computer code to problems in the field of wind engineering of structures are presented. Projects briefly described are: the Millau Viaduct, River Neath Bridge and a Savonius turbine. A high level of spatial and temporal resolution is used. It is concluded that such computations can provide important design guidance through fast-track aerodynamic testing.