Search Results (48)

This study investigated the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) characteristics of a proposed water-conveying truss pipeline cable-stayed bridge through wind tunnel tests. The experimental results indicated that both vertical bending and torsional VIV responses decreased as the wind attack angle increased. The vertical bending VIV behavior of the bridge was significantly influenced by the lateral spacing and relative height of the pipelines. Adjustments to these geometric parameters markedly affected the structural VIV response. Furthermore, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was employed to analyze the flow field around the truss pipeline bridge. The results revealed that changes in the lateral spacing and relative height of the pipelines primarily altered the VIV performance by modifying vorticity distribution, separation point position, and other critical flow field parameters around the truss section. These findings underscore the importance of considering the effects of geometric parameters on VIV during the design of the truss section in pipeline bridges. Full article

The bridge girder’s aerodynamic configuration substantially governs its aerodynamic loading and wind-induced vibration characteristics. Extensive research has been performed to optimize the configuration of girders and implement aerodynamic measures to enhance the bridge’s wind resistance. In some practical bridge engineering projects, the aerodynamic configuration of the bridge girder is asymmetric. However, studies investigating the aerodynamic properties of asymmetric girders are limited. In this paper, the aerodynamic loading and vibration characteristics of the Π-shaped girders and box girders with asymmetric bikeways are experimentally studied. Through an extensive series of wind tunnel experiments, the static wind loading coefficients, flutter derivatives, vortex-induced vibration (VIV) responses, and the critical flutter velocities are compared across varying wind direction angles (WDAs). The experimental results demonstrate that the asymmetric girder configurations have different characteristics in both the static wind loading coefficient and flutter derivative in different WDAs. The influence of WDAs on the above-mentioned aerodynamic force coefficients of the asymmetric Π-shaped girder is more pronounced than that on the asymmetric box girder. For the asymmetric Π-shaped girder, the heaving VIV responses at a 0° WDA are smaller than those at a 180° WDA, but the torsional VIV responses at a 0° WDA are larger. Experimental results for critical flutter velocities indicate that the flutter performance at a 0° WDA is better than that at a 180° WDA, especially at positive angles of attack (AOAs) for the two types of asymmetric bridge girders. Full article

Due to its complex mechanism of action, the wind-resistant design of square cross-section structures against vortex-induced vibration (VIV) still presents significant challenges. The angle of the wind direction is an important factor affecting the VIV characteristics of square cylinders. A series of stationary model pressure tests were performed and an elastic supporting model was used in the present study. The effects of the wind direction angle on parameters corresponding to fluid–structure interaction were analyzed with reference to the Strouhal number, range of “lock-in”, amplitude, and aerodynamic forces. The Strouhal number of the square cylinder was greatest at a 16° wind direction angle. When the wind direction angle was 10°, the wind speed range of vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of the square cylinder was the greatest, and the corresponding value was the smallest when the wind direction angle ranged from 20° to 45°. Within the vibration interval, the extreme value of the amplitude was smallest when the wind direction angle was 10°, and the extreme value of the amplitude was greatest when the wind direction angle was 30°. The vibration state had a minimal influence on the mean lift coefficient and a relatively large influence on the mean drag coefficient. Full article

The span of a double-deck cross-sea bridge that can be used for both highway and railway purposes is usually 1 to 16 km. Compared with small-span bridges and single-layer main girder forms, its lightweight design and low damping characteristics make it more prone to vortex-induced vibration (VIV). To predict the VIV performance of a double-deck steel truss (DDST) girder with additional aerodynamic measures, the VIV response of a DDST bridge was investigated using wind tunnel tests and numerical simulation, a learning sample database was established with numerical simulation results, and a prediction model for the amplitude of the DDST girder and VIV parameters was established based on three machine learning algorithms. The optimization algorithm was selected using root mean square error (RMSE) and the coefficient of determination (R²) as evaluation indices and further improved with a genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization. The results show that for the amplitude prediction of the main girder, the backpropagation neural network model is the most effective. The most improved algorithm yields an RMSE of 0.150 and an R² of 0.9898. For the prediction of VIV parameters, the Random Forest model is the most effective. The RMSE values of the improved optimal algorithm are 0.017, 0.026, and 0.295, and the R² values are 0.9421, 0.8875, and 0.9462. The prediction model is more efficient in terms of computational efficiency compared to the numerical simulation method. Full article

This study assesses the wind resistance and vortex-induced vibration (VIV) risks of the Dongzhou River Bridge in China reconstruction during critical construction stages. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations analyzed wind effects when the twin main girders were maximally separated, revealing asymmetric vortex shedding patterns influenced by upstream–downstream aerodynamic interactions. The upstream girder’s wake generated complex flow fields, increasing turbulence on the downstream girder and indicating elevated VIV susceptibility. A 1:50 scale aeroelastic model validated these findings through wind tunnel tests, confirming that CFD-predicted critical VIV wind speeds aligned with experimental observations. Tests identified a distinct “jump-like” vibration mode at specific wind speeds (35–40 m/s full-scale equivalent), characterized by abrupt amplitude escalation rather than gradual growth—a signature of unstable VIV resonance. However, measured amplitudes remained below the 61.5 mm full-scale equivalent safety threshold, confirming that vibrations posed no critical risk. While aerodynamic coupling between girders requires monitoring during cantilever construction, the study concludes that existing control measures ensure safe construction and operation without structural modifications. These results provide actionable guidelines for wind risk mitigation through construction sequencing and real-time wind speed restrictions. Full article

Due to the limitations of wind tunnel speed and size, achieving a model’s Reynolds number equal to the actual Reynolds number is challenging and may lead to discrepancies between experimental and actual results. To investigate the effects of the Reynolds number on the aerodynamic forces and vortex-induced vibration (VIV) characteristics of a streamlined box girder, wind tunnel tests were conducted to study the variations in aerodynamic forces and surface pressures on the static main beam, as well as the VIV response and time–frequency characteristics of the aerodynamic forces on the dynamic main beam, as the Reynolds number varied. The results indicate that in static tests, as the Reynolds number increases, the drag coefficient of the main beam decreases, the lift coefficient slightly increases, and the pitching moment coefficient remains almost unchanged. The root mean square (RMS) values of the wind pressure coefficients show a significant Reynolds number effect, with values generally decreasing as the Reynolds number increases. In free vibration tests, as the Reynolds number increases, the onset wind speed of VIV increases from 14.35 m/s to 16.03 m/s, the maximum amplitude decreases from 0.076 to 0.004, and the VIV lock-in range narrows. The dynamic pressure results indicate that as the Reynolds number increases, the RMS values of the wind pressure coefficients decrease. At some measurement points, the dominant frequencies of the fluctuating pressure amplitude spectra deviate from the corresponding VIV frequency, and the correlation and contribution coefficients between the local aerodynamic forces and the overall vortex-induced force (VIF) decrease. These changes may explain the reduction in the VIV amplitude with an increasing Reynolds number. The motion state of the main beam has a minimal effect on the mean wind pressure coefficients and their Reynolds number effect, whereas it has a more significant effect on the RMS values of the pressure coefficients. Full article

Energy harvesting technology plays an important role in converting ambient energy into useful electrical energy to power wireless sensing and system monitoring, especially for systems operating in isolated, abandoned or embedded locations where battery replacement or recharging is not a feasible solution. This paper provides an integrative study of the methodologies and technologies of energy harvesting from fluid flow-induced vibration (FIV). The recent research endeavors contributing to flow-based energy harvesting have been reviewed to present the state-of-the-art issues and challenges. Several mechanisms on FIVs including vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs), flutter, galloping and wake galloping are thoroughly discussed in terms of device architecture, operating principles, energy transduction, voltage production and power generation. Additionally, advantages and disadvantages of each FIV energy harvesting mechanism are also talked about. Power enhancement methods, such as induced nonlinearities, optimized harvester’s configuration, hybridization and coupling of aerodynamic instabilities, for boosting the harvester’s output are also elucidated and categorized. Moreover, rotary wind energy harvesters are reviewed and discussed. Finally, the challenges and potential directions related to the flow-based energy harvesters (FBEHs) are also mentioned to provide an insight to researchers on the development of sustainable energy solutions for remote wireless sensing and monitoring systems. Full article

Some very useful methods for suppressing the flow-induced vibration (FIV) of a single cylinder are known to potentially have a limited efficiency for tandem-arrangement cylinders. In this paper, three splitter plates uniformly attached around a cylinder with an angle of 120° are proposed to suppress the FIVs of both a single cylinder and two tandem-arrangement cylinders in a wind tunnel at Re = 4000–45,200. The splitter plates’ length to diameter ratios, L/Ds (where L is the length of the splitter plate and D is the cylinder diameter), are set from 0.1 to 0.8. The results show that the proposed method not only effectively suppresses the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) for a single cylinder, but also successfully mitigates the wake-induced galloping (WIG) for two tandem-arrangement cylinders. The vibrations of the single cylinders are effectively suppressed, consistently achieving suppression efficiencies over 95% for L/Ds = 0.2–0.8, with a notable peak efficiency of 98.4% at L/D = 0.2. For the two tandem-arrangement cylinders at S/D = 4.0 (where S is the center-to-center spacing between the two cylinders), the suppression efficiencies of the upstream cylinder exceed 96% for L/D = 0.2–0.8, with an optimal efficiency of 97.4% at L/D = 0.6. The downstream cylinder exhibits vibration only at L/Ds = 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4, resulting in suppression efficiencies of 80.3%, 67.1%, and 91.0%. The vibrations remain fully suppressed throughout the entire reduced velocity range for L/Ds = 0.6–0.8, reaching an optimal efficiency of 98.7% at L/D = 0.6. Three regimes of f_s/f_n characteristics can be classified for the single cylinder, and the wake structures show that shear layers develop along the front plate before attaching on the cylinder and are then offset to either side of the cylinder by the two rear splitter plates, contributing to the absence of periodic vortex shedding. Full article

A long-span double-deck steel truss suspension bridge is easy to produce vortex-induced vibration (VIV) at low air velocity, which affects bridge service life. Additional aerodynamic measures play a role in suppressing VIV by changing the aerodynamic shape, which is a common control method. As the main aerodynamic measure to suppress the VIV response, wind fairing is widely used in engineering practice. In order to obtain the optimal additional position and shape parameters of the fairing, Huangjuetuo Yangtze River Bridge is the research target. Through the combination of a wind tunnel test and numerical simulation, the VIV response of the original and fairing section is studied. Based on data analysis, it is revealed that these additional fairings to the upper chord can significantly reduce the VIV response. When the shape parameters of the fairing are h/D = 1/4 and l/D = 1, the VIV inhibition efficiency is the highest, which can reach 65.51%. By analyzing the flow distribution, it can be seen that VIV is caused mainly by vortex separation in the upper bridge board area. Although this wind fairing does not change the original vortex shedding forms, it changes the first separation point and movement direction of the airflow, making the vortex scale generated by the airflow smaller and the vorticity lower, thus effectively suppressing VIV. Full article

Energy harvesting is a clean technique for obtaining electrical energy from environmental energy. Mechanical vibrations are an energy source that can be used to produce electricity using piezoelectric energy harvesters. Vibrations and wind in bridges have the potential to produce clean energy that can be employed to supply energy to electronic devices with low consumption. The purpose of this paper was to validate the functioning of an energy harvester and test the electrical power generation potential of a system based on the oscillation of a rod with a tip mass to stimulate piezoelectric transducers by impact. The obtained results showed the electric energy productions for different test conditions. Experimentally, the proposed structure produced 0.337 µJ of energy after 14 s of testing. In addition, after one hour of operation, an estimated production of 10.4 mJ was obtained, considering four stacks of 25 piezoelectric disks each when periodic impacts of 50 N at 5.7 Hz stimulated the transducers. In future work, we will focus on taking advantage of the vibrations produced in the proposed structure induced by the mechanical vibration of bridges and vortex-induced vibration (VIV) through interaction with wind to produce clean energy that is useful for low-power applications. Full article

This study investigates the application of soft magnetic composite (SMC) materials in alternator core manufacturing for bladeless wind turbines operating under the principle of vortex-induced vibration (VIV), employing additive manufacturing (AM) technologies. Through a comparative analysis of alternator prototypes featuring air, SMC, and iron cores, the investigation aims to evaluate the performance of SMC materials as an alternative to the most commonly used material (iron) in VIV BWT, by assessing damping, resonance frequency, magnetic hysteresis, and energy generation. Results indicate that while alternators with iron cores exhibit superior energy generation (peaking at 3830 mV and an RMS voltage of 1019 mV), those with SMC cores offer a promising compromise with a peak voltage of 1150 mV and RMS voltage of 316 mV, mitigating eddy current losses attributed to magnetic hysteresis. Notably, SMC cores achieve a damping rate of 60%, compared to 67% for air cores and 59% for iron cores, showcasing their potential to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of bladeless wind turbines (BWTs). Furthermore, the adaptability of AM in optimizing designs and accommodating intricate shapes presents significant advantages for future advancements. This study underscores the pivotal role of innovative materials and manufacturing processes in driving progress towards more efficient and sustainable renewable energy solutions. Full article

Twin-box girders are a good option for long-span cable-bearing bridges due to their excellent stability. Nonetheless, the girder’s slots may generate vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs). Fortunately, appropriate aerodynamic measures can effectively suppress the VIVs in twin-box girders while reducing costs. To examine the effects of vortex isolation plates with varying aperture diameters and opening ratios on the VIVs, a segment model wind tunnel test was conducted. The results demonstrated that a reduction in the opening ratio improved the performance under heaving VIVs, but there was no discernible trend under torsional vibrations. It was also discovered that the opening size significantly influences the length of the lock-in region of torsional vibrations. Furthermore, heaving VIVs have a substantial correlation with both of the girder’s boxes, while torsional vibrations are mostly connected with the downstream section. Full article

Numerical calculations were performed to study the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of a circular cylinder, which was elastically supported by springs of linear and cubic terms. These simulations were conducted at high Reynolds numbers ranging from 4200 to 42,000. To simulate the cylinder’s motion and the associated aerodynamic forces, Computational Fluid Dynamics were employed in conjunction with dynamic mesh capabilities. The numerical method was initially verified by testing it with various grid resolutions and time steps, and subsequently, it was validated using experimental data. The response of cubic nonlinearities was investigated using insights gained from a conventional linear vortex-induced vibration (VIV) system. This 2D study revealed that both the amplitude and frequency of vibrations are contingent on the flow velocity. The highest output was achieved within the frequency lock-in region, where internal resonance occurs. In the case of a hardening spring, the beating response was observed from the lower end of the initial branch to the upper end of the initial branch. The response displacement amplitude obtained for the linear spring case was 27 mm, whereas in the cubic nonlinear case, the value was 31.8 mm. More importantly, the results indicate that the inclusion of nonlinear springs can substantially extend the range of wind velocities in which significant energy extraction through vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is achievable. Full article

This study presents a comprehensive exploration centred on the morphology and surface structure of bladeless wind turbines (BWTs) aimed at optimizing their wind energy harvesting capability. Unlike conventional wind technology where vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is seen as problematic due to aeroelastic resonance, this effect becomes advantageous in BWT energy harvesters, devoid of frictional contact or gears. The primary objective of this study is to develop an optimal BWT design for maximizing energy output. Specifically, this study delves into optimizing the energy performance of these VIV wind energy harvesters, investigating how the geometry (shape and roughness) influences their operating range, known as Lock-In range. The results demonstrate how variations in geometry (convergent, straight, or divergent) can shift the Lock-In range to different Reynolds numbers (Re), modelled by the equation: Re (max Lock-In) = 0.30 α + 4.06. Furthermore, this study highlights the minimal impact of roughness within the considered test conditions. Full article

Offshore pipelines of different diameters are often seen in piggyback arrangements in close proximity. Under the effects of external flows, the pipelines may experience vibration. Reliable prediction of the vibration amplitudes is important for the design and operation of these structures. In the present study, the effect of the position angle (α) and gap ratio (G/D) of a piggyback pipeline on the amplitude of 1DOF vortex-induced vibration (VIV) was investigated experimentally in a wind tunnel. The diameter ratio d/D of the two cylinders was 0.5. Five position angles, namely, α = 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180°, and six gap ratios at each angle, G/D = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, were tested. It was found that both α and G/D affected the amplitude of vibrations significantly. For all gap ratios, the amplitude of vibrations increased from α = 0° to α = 90° and then decreased to a minimum value around α = 135°. The maximum amplitude occurred around α = 90° when G/D = 0, and the minimum occurred around α = 135°, when G/D = 0.2–0.3. At other position angles, the vibration amplitude was less sensitive to G/D, especially when the latter was between 0.1 and 0.4. These results verified those obtained using numerical methods and are invaluable to engineers when designing offshore piggyback pipelines. Full article