Full-Scale Monitoring of the Wind Field, Surface Pressures and Structural Response of Gjemnessund Suspension Bridge

Abstract

A custom-made monitoring system for long-term measurements of the wind field, surface pressures and structural response has been installed on the Gjemnessund Bridge in Norway. The monitoring system has been operating from 2018 to 2021. The scope was to investigate several topics within bridge aerodynamics in a full-scale environment, e.g. vortex shedding, gust response and span-wise correlations. Six cross-sectional strips with pressure taps were installed on the bridge. The pressure strips covered a span-wise distance equal to approximately six times the deck width. The upstream and the wake flow properties were measured in five locations along the same span. A case study showed that the ten-second gust correlations were stronger than the ten-minute correlations, both span-wise and section-wise. The gust impact on the bridge caused peak-to-peak mid-span amplitudes of 1 m vertically and 2 m laterally.