OBSERVATIONS ON LOW-SPEED AEROELASTICITY

A brief history of developments in the field of low-speed aeroelasticity is provided in the context of application to long-span bridge structures. The paper first gives a summary of some significant developments in aeroelasticity for low-speed aeronautical applications in the early 20th century. The role of the pivotal Tacoma Narrows failure and subsequent investigation is introduced. The development of formal experimental and analytical tools for the prediction of long-span bridge response to wind is presented, and their roots in--but differences from--classical low-speed aeroelasticity are presented and discussed. The important issue of Reynolds number scaling is discussed and posed as a problem that requires resolution in future research. Details of analytical and experimental techniques are not provided herein; readers are referred to the references for developments in these areas. The intent of the paper is to emphasize the parallels between these 2 strongly related fields, and in so doing, highlight the role of classical aeronautical engineering in the development of state-of-the-art bridge wind engineering.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/07339399
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  1801 Alexander Bell Drive
  Reston, VA  United States  20191-4400
• Authors:
  • Scanlan, R H
• Publication Date: 2002-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 1254-58
• Serial:
  • Journal of Engineering Mechanics
  • Volume: 128
  • Issue Number: 12
  • Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
  • ISSN: 0733-9399
  • EISSN: 1943-7889
  • Serial URL: http://ascelibrary.org/journal/jenmdt

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamic force; Aerodynamics; Bridge design; Bridge engineering; Deformation; Failure analysis; Structural deterioration and defects; Structural mechanics; Wind resistant design
• Identifier Terms: Tacoma Narrows Bridge
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00935626
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 18 2003 12:00AM