Field measurement on wind characteristic and buffeting response of the Runyang Suspension Bridge during typhoon Matsa

Field measurement on wind characteristic and buffeting response of existing bridge is of great value to the development of bridge wind engineering, and the structural health monitoring system (SHMS) employed in many long-span bridges provide a research basis for the field measurement. In order to provide reliable basis for wind resistant evaluation of Runyang Suspension Bridge (RSB), two anemometers and 85 accelerometers were installed in the SHMS of RSB. In August 2005, Typhoon Matsa crossed over Jiangsu, the SHMS timely recorded the typhoon and structural vibration responses. In this paper by using the time-frequency technique and statistical theory, the recorded data were analyzed to obtain the strong wind characteristics, the buffeting response characteristics of the cable and deck, and the variation of buffeting response RMS versus wind speed. Results obtained in this study can be employed to validate the credibility of current buffeting response analysis theory techniques, and provide reference values for wind resistant evaluation of other long-span bridges.