Experimental and numerical identification of flutter derivatives for nine bridge deck sections

This paper presents the results of a study into experimental and numerical methods for the identification of bridge deck flutter derivatives. Nine bridge deck sections were investigated in a water tunnel in order to create an empirical reference set for numerical investigations. The same sections, plus a wide range of further sections, were studied numerically using a commercially available CFD code. The experimental and numerical results were compared with respect to accuracy, sensitivity, and practical suitability. Furthermore, the relevance of the effective angle of attack, the possible assessment of non-critical vibrations, and the formulation of lateral vibrations were studied. Selected results are presented in this paper. The full set of raw data is available online to provide researchers and engineers with a comprehensive benchmarking tool.