Validated Numerical Simulation of Aerodynamic and Aeroelastic Characteristics of Rhein-Crossing Bridge in Leverkusen

Abstract

This paper presents the results of numerical investigation of the aeroelastic characteristics of an aged bridge deck. The study is developed on the hand of the Rhein-crossing bridge in Leverkusen (Germany), which is undergoing major investigations and will be likely demolished after 53 years of service. Static coefficients and instationary flutter derivatives are determined by means of both forced vibration tests at WIST wind tunnel (Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany) and CFD analysis by performing this last as two-dimensional simulations. Pressure measurements in a cross-section in the middle of the bridge model are performed in the wind tunnel experiments, to analyse the wind flow pattern. The numerical model uses the Finite Volume discretization and the turbulence is simulated by the k-ω-SST model. Force and pressure measurements from wind tunnel tests are used for validating the numerical model. The main and original contribution of the study consists in assessing the aerodynamic, as well as aeroelastic, behaviour of an aged bridge deck (with rather unusual “old-fashion” profile) and to verify the performance of CFD-URANS method to determine the bridge flutter derivatives. The aeroelastic forces are obtained by calculating the vectoral difference between the two sets of measurements (Šarkić et al. 2017; Lupi et al. 2018).