Date of Graduation
5-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Civil Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Panneer R. Selvam
Committee Member
Ernie Heymsfield
Second Committee Member
Micah Hale
Keywords
Applied sciences, Bridge aerodynamic, Computational fluid dynamic, Parallel computing, Wind engineering, Wind loading
Abstract
The incidence of wind on bridges produces static and dynamic loading that must be adequately addressed when designing bridges. Dynamic loading is the primary concern, as the amplitude of the structures response to the applied loading may be greatly amplified. Ideally, the bridge's properties should be designed to avoid dynamic loading. Previous investigations of wind loading on bridges consisted of measuring forces produced on scaled models of bridges within wind tunnels. However, these wind tunnel tests are costly and time consuming due to cost to fabricate and instrument the bridge cross sections. Recent advancements in computational power of computers allow realistic simulation of wind flow over bridges via computational fluid dynamics (CFD). It is advantageous to study wind forces on bridge decks via computer simulation because parameters of the bridge and the wind field around it can be modified to evaluate their influences on the forces produced on the bridge. The present study introduces a new computer model that is used to simulate two-dimensional flow of wind around a bridge deck. This program is in parallel format, which substantially reduces computational time compared to time required for similar simulations on a single computer. Minimum grid refinement to adequately resolve the boundary layer is identified. A user manual is developed so that the program can be operated by a designer with minimal training. Finally, the model is validated by comparing the force coefficients that it predicts with force coefficients from wind tunnel experiments.
KEY WORDS: Wind loading, bridge aerodynamic, computational fluid dynamic, parallel computing
Citation
Mbianda Kemayou, B. (2016). Analysis of Bridge Deck Sections by Pseudo-compressibility method based on FDM and LES: Improving Performance through Implementation of Parallel Computing. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1619