An optimized numerical tornado simulator and its application to transient wind-induced response of a long-span bridge

The long-span bridges in the tornado-prone area would be potentially struck by extreme transient winds. In this study, the tornado-like wind field is simulated by the numerical Ward-type tornado simulator based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. To minimize the discrepancy between the simulated and field-measured tornado winds, the optimization strategy is developed to achieve optimal parameters of the numerical Ward-type tornado simulator, namely the inflow angle (θ) and translation speed (VT). To facilitate the optimization process, a multi-fidelity surrogate model is utilized to effectively integrate both low-fidelity and high-fidelity data for accurate and efficient simulations. Specifically, the cokriging model is constructed by the CFD data associated with both low-cost Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and high-cost large-eddy simulation (LES) techniques. The “best” parameters (i.e., θ and VT) based on the multi-fidelity surrogate model are input to the numerical Ward-type tornado simulator (using LES technique), and the obtained wind field matches excellently with the field measurements. Finally, the transient wind field generated using the validated numerical Ward-type tornado simulator is employed as the dynamic inputs to the finite element (FE) model of a long-span bridge, and the results highlight the important contribution of the transient bridge aerodynamics.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jweia.2022.105072
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016761052200174X
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/01676105
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Feng, Yu
  • Hao, Jianming
  • 0000-0002-1318-0130
  • Han, Wanshui
  • Su, Quanke
  • Wu, Teng
• Publication Date: 2022-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 105072
• Serial:
  • Journal of Wind Engineering & Industrial Aerodynamics
  • Volume: 227
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0167-6105
  • Serial URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-wind-engineering-and-industrial-aerodynamics

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamic force; Long span bridges; Tornadoes; Wind
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01851288
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 14 2022 11:32AM