Time-domain buffeting simulations for wind–bridge interaction

Aeroelastic behavior of bridge deck cross-sections under the action of turbulent flow is addressed in the paper. Simulation of cross-sectional behavior is obtained in time domain, by assuming both buffeting and self-excited forces modeled by means of appropriate indicial functions extracted from flutter derivatives. The use of indicial functions for buffeting loads is justified by calculation of corresponding aerodynamic admittance functions and validated by comparison of simulated response with experimental results. A comparison with results obtained including buffeting loads modeled by a quasi-steady approach is also discussed.