Numerical simulations on flow control of the long hanger around a bridge tower based on active suction and blowing method

Abstract

Long hangers around the bridge tower are subjected to severe vibrations caused by the tower wakes. This study adopted an active suction/blowing control measure at the tower corners to control hanger vibrations and included four combination measures: upstream suction (US), upstream blowing (UB), downstream suction (DS), and downstream blowing (DB). The effects of control cases on the near-wake flow structures of the tower were first studied in two-dimensional RANS simulation, and the vibration behaviors of the hanger and control mechanism were further analyzed. The cases associated with UB and DS cannot effectively suppress hanger vibrations, and both lead to unfavorable upward trends in the aerodynamic coefficients of the tower. Especially for the cases associated with DS, at a specific control speed, the second-order frequency of the drag coefficient of the hanger is very close to its natural frequency, resulting in significant longitudinal vibration. The cases associated with US and DB are effective control schemes with longitudinal peak amplitudes of the hanger reduced by 94.1% and 94.5%, and lateral peak amplitudes reduced by 95.8% and 97.0%, respectively, compared with the case baseline. This is because the dominant frequency of the lift of the hanger is away from its natural frequency, and the fluctuating wind loads on the hanger are effectively suppressed. Finally, the control effect and vibration suppression mechanism for typical cases were further reproduced in three-dimensional large eddy simulations.