Measurement of Aerodynamic Performance of the Houston Ship Channel Bridge

本项目对休斯敦航道(贝敦)大桥进行风荷载和结构性能数据分析。整个研究的目标是在施工过程中对桥梁进行一系列的环境振动调查。在开幕前进行最后的环境振动调查，最后安装一个长期监测系统，以监测两年期间的风荷载和结构反应，并进行辅助研究。斜拉桥为美国和国际上的中大跨度桥梁提供了一种替代经典悬索桥的可行方案。由于其细长和灵活的特点，其设计中的一个重要问题是考虑到风的影响。重要的是，随着未来几年新结构的构思和设计，风的影响及其相关问题在桥梁设计阶段继续得到认真考虑。现有新的适当的基本工具和方法，但它们的发展需要完成并统一起来，以协调一致的方式处理一些悬而未决的问题，其中心重点是全面证实预测的反应。贝敦大桥将配备一个自触发数据采集系统，与一套运动和气象仪器相连，以监测大桥在环境风条件下的性能，为期两年(名义)。将测量风速矢量和甲板加速度以及缆索运动(不会对当前项目造成成本)，并将尝试测量选定位置的压力。将对记录的数据进行更详细的统计分析，并将观测结果与使用原始赠款下开发的风洞部分模型数据和分析技术所做的预测进行比较。

This project conducts the analysis of wind load and structural performance data for the Houston Ship Channel (Baytown) Bridge. The goal of the entire research is to perform a series of ambient vibration surveys on the bridge during construction. Culminating in a final ambient vibration survey just before opening and then finally the installation of a long-term monitoring system to monitor wind loads and structural response over a two-year period, along with supporting studies. Cable-stayed bridges provide a viable alternative to the classical suspension bridge for medium-to-long spans within the U.S. and internationally. Due to their slender and flexible characteristics, a significant issue in their design is consideration of wind effects. It is important that as new structures are conceived and designed in the coming years that wind effects and their associated problems continue to be considered seriously in the bridge design stage. Adequate basic tools and approaches new exist, but their development needs to be completed and unified by addressing a number of unresolved issues in an coherent manner with a central focus being on the full-scale corroboration of predicted response. The Baytown bridge will be instrummented with a self-triggering data acquisition system coupled to a suite of motion and meteorological instruments to monitor the performance of the Bridge under ambient wind conditions for a two-year (nominal) period. Wind speed vectors and deck accelerations will be measured as well as cable motions and (at no cost to the current project) and attempt will be made to measure pressures at selected locations. The recorded data will be analyzed statistically in some detail and observations compared to predicition made using wind tunnel section model data and analysis techniques developed under the original grant.