U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| Project Information | ||
| Project ID: | FHWA-PROJ-09-0036 | |
| Project Name: | Synthesis of Aerodynamic Results from Prior Wind Tunnel Bridge Investigations Conducted in North America | |
| Project Status: | Active | |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2009 | |
| End Date: | December 31, 2014 | |
| Contact Information | ||
| Last Name: | Bosch | |
| First Name: | Harold R | |
| Telephone: | 202-493-3031 | |
| E-mail: | harold.bosch@dot.gov | |
| Office: | Office of Infrastructure Research and Development | |
| Team: | Hazard Mitigation Team [HRDI-50] | |
| Program: | Innovative Bridge Research and Deployment | |
| Laboratory: | Aerodynamics Laboratory | |
| Project detail | ||
| Roadmap/Focus area(s): | Infrastructure Research and Technology Strategic Plan and Roadmap | |
| Project Description: | An aerodynamic assessment, usually involving one or several wind tunnel tests, is almost always conducted on any design proposed for long-span bridges. Over the years, since the dramatic collapse of the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, hundreds of such studies have been performed in North America. These studies have largely been performed in one of three laboratories in Canada or the Federal Highway Administration Aerodynamics Laboratory at Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center; a few others have been conducted in select U.S. labs. The results of these investigations represent a wealth of technical information that could significantly advance our understanding and serve as an aid for design of future bridges. Unfortunately, much of the results and details of this work remain in the hands of the laboratories conducting the work and in possession of the design consultants who commissioned the work. The results that are published are not complete and are scattered about in the literature. There is a need to catalog the results of these studies so that all researchers and designers can benefit from this information. | |
| Goals: | The objective of the study is to work with other laboratories in North America to gain access to their archives so that we may collect, catalog, and synthesize valuable information from their bridge aerodynamic investigations. | |
| Product Type: | Research report | |
| Test Methodology: | All laboratories in North America with a significant history of test activity in this field will be contacted regarding their interest in participating in this project. For those who will partner with us, we will request detailed results of their past, current, and future wind tunnel tests along with permission to use those results in this project and any related future work. While information in electronic form is preferred, it is likely that results from older tests may have to be extracted from hardcopy documents. The test results will be organized and summarized in a report as well as compiled into a live database. | |
| Expected Benefits: | Synthesis report and data archive will represent valuable resource for long-span bridge researchers, designers, and owners. | |
| Deliverables: | Name: Research report. Product Type(s): Research report Description: The results will be compiled into a comprehensive document suitable for use by researchers, designers, and owners. | |
| FHWA Topics: | Roads and Bridges--Design | |
| TRT Terms: | Aerodynamics Long Span Bridges Wind Tunnel Aerodynamic Stability Wind Infrastructure Bridges Research |
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| FHWA Disciplines: | Structures Design Environment |
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| Subject Areas: | Bridges and other structures Design Environment |
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