Comparison of the empirical formula and the “CFD”-based semi-empirical method in the prediction of the critical speed of flutter

Abstract

In this paper, the critical wind speed of flutter has been predicted by using two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model side by side with the empirical formula (Selberg's formula, 1961). The deck section of the Great Belt Bridge's main span has been used herein as a reference among other sectional varieties. For each case of the examined sections, the width was changed case by case, while its depth maintained unchanged. Both of the two methods, the semi-empirical using the “CFD” simulation and the empirical formula have been employed to predict the critical wind speed of flutter for a variety of the (width/depth) ratio and the natural frequency ratio (torsional/vertical). The results were obtained from the semi-empirical method and validated by comparison with wind tunnel test for typical section model of the Great Belt Bridge presented in the literature, and also compared with the empirical method. The results were represented graphically for each method and they have indicated the variation of the critical speed in terms of the section dimension and its natural frequencies, and furthermore, the change of the difference between the two methods was represented too.