Revisiting aerodynamic admittance functions of bridge decks

A framework was proposed to identify a comprehensive set of aerodynamic admittance functions for bridge decks. The contributions of the cross-spectra between longitudinal and vertical wind velocity components and between turbulence components and gust-induced forces were embedded in the identification procedure. To facilitate application of the identified functions in engineering practice, the concept of an equivalent aerodynamic admittance function was introduced and numerically validated. The equivalent aerodynamic admittance functions of a set of streamlined and bluff cross sections were identified experimentally in a wind tunnel. Buffeting analysis of a bridge deck was carried out and the response predicted using the identified aerodynamic admittance functions compared well with the measured response. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was performed to delineate the influence of aerodynamic and structural parameters on the buffeting response, thereby demonstrating the significance of the proposed identification framework.