Measurement of Aerodynamic Performance of the Houston Ship Channel Bridge

本项目对休斯顿航道（贝敦）大桥的风荷载和结构性能数据进行分析。 整个研究的目标是在施工期间对桥梁进行一系列的环境振动测量。 最终在开业前进行了最后的环境振动调查，最后安装了一个长期监测系统，以监测风荷载和结构响应，为期两年，沿着支持研究。 斜拉桥为美国和国际上的中长跨度悬索桥提供了一种可行的替代方案。 由于其细长和柔性的特点，在其设计中的一个重要问题是考虑风的影响。 重要的是，随着未来几年新结构的构思和设计，在桥梁设计阶段继续认真考虑风效应及其相关问题。 现有适当的基本工具和新办法，但需要通过以协调一致的方式处理一些未决问题来完成和统一这些工具和新办法的开发，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，该系统与一套运动和气象仪器相耦合，以监测桥梁在环境风条件下的性能，为期两年（标称）。 将测量风速矢量和甲板加速度以及电缆运动（当前项目无成本），并尝试测量选定位置的压力。 将对记录的数据进行详细的统计分析，并将观察结果与使用风洞截面模型数据和根据原始赠款开发的分析技术进行的预测进行比较。

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.