Coupled Hydraulic-Structural Testing to Improve Highway Bridge Performance Under Extreme Hurricane Wave Loads

本计画之研究目的为探讨飓风波浪对沿海地区公路桥梁结构之影响。 为此，该项目将（1）在完全刚性桥梁的假设下进行一系列波浪桥物理模型试验，（2）对柔性结构进行第二系列波浪桥物理模型试验，使用两组已知刚度的弹簧模拟桥梁的摇摆，以及（3）进行初步的数值模型研究以评估现有流体-结构模型的性能。该研究结合了海岸工程的专业知识来分析波浪力和结构工程来分析桥梁响应。 可解释性包括建立波浪特性（有效波高和周期）、几何形状（桥面、气隙和水深）和响应（波浪载荷）之间的基本关系。 第二个关系将被开发，以提供概率的极端波浪载荷超过其特定值为给定的海况和问题geometrical. Results的研究将提供新的见解公路桥梁遭受飓风波浪载荷的破坏机制，类似于桥梁故障沿着美国墨西哥湾海岸在2004年飓风伊万和卡特里娜飓风在2005年。波浪特性和桥梁响应之间的新关系将为工程师提供工具，以评估现有桥梁在飓风中的失效风险，并设计新的和改造现有桥梁以承受这些载荷。一名研究生接受了该项目的培训。研究成果将通过期刊论文和会议报告传播。 该项目被整合到俄勒冈州州立大学的NSF NEES海啸设施的现有K-12外展计划中。

The research objective of this project is to study the effect of hurricane induced waves on highway bridge structures in coastal areas. For this, the project we will (1) conduct a series of wave-bridge physical model tests under the assumption of a completely rigid bridge, (2) conduct a second series of wave-bridge physical model tests for a flexible structure, modeling the sway of the bridge using two sets of springs of known stiffness, and (3) conduct a preliminary numerical model investigation to evaluate the performance of an existing fluid-structure model. The research combines expertise in coastal engineering to analyze the wave forcing and structural engineering to analyze the bridge response. Deliverables include developing a fundamental relationship between the wave characteristics (significant wave height and period), geometry (bridge deck, air gap, and water depth), and response (wave loads). A second relationship will be developed to provide probabilities of the extreme wave loads exceeding their certain values for given sea state and problem geometry.The results of this research will provide new insights into the failure mechanisms of highway bridges subjected to hurricane wave loads, similar to the bridge failures along the US Gulf of Mexico coast during hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Katrina in 2005. The new relationships between wave characteristics and bridge response will provide tools for engineers to evaluate the risk of failure for existing bridges to hurricanes and to design new and retrofit existing bridges to withstand these loads. One graduate student is trained on this project. The research results will be disseminated through journal papers and conference presentations. The project is integrated in an existing K-12 outreach program at the NSF NEES Tsunami Facility at Oregon State University.