Numerical simulation of aerodynamic derivatives and critical wind speed for long-span bridges based on simplified steady wind field

Combining the computational fluid dynamics-based numerical simulation with the forced vibration technique for extraction of aerodynamic derivatives, an approach for calculating the aerodynamic derivatives and the critical flutter wind speed for long-span bridges is presented in this paper. The RNG k-ε turbulent model is introduced to establish the governing equations, including the continuity equation and the Navier-Stokes equations, for solving the wind flow field around a two-dimensional bridge section. To illustrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed approach, a simple application to the Hume Bridge in China is provided, and the numerical results show that the aerodynamic derivatives and the critical flutter wind speed obtained agree well with the wind tunnel test results.

Computation of the stability derivatives via CFD and the sensitivity equations

The method to calculate the aerodynamic stability derivates of aircrafts by using the sensitivity equations is ex- tended to flows with shock waves in this paper. Using the newly developed second-order cell-centered finite volume scheme on the unstructured-grid, the unsteady Euler equations and sensitivity equations are solved simultaneously in a non-inertial frame of reference, so that the aerodynamic stability derivatives can be calculated for aircrafts with complex geometries. Based on the numerical results, behavior of the aerodynamic sensitivity parameters near the shock wave is discussed. Furthermore, the stability derivatives are analyzed for supersonic and hypersonic flows. The numerical results of the stability derivatives are found in good agree- ment with theoretical results for supersonic flows, and variations of the aerodynamic force and moment predicted by the stability derivatives are very close to those obtained by CFD simulation for both supersonic and hypersonic flows.