On aerodynamic characteristics of inclined stay cables with upper rivulet at critical Reynolds numbers
DU Xiao-qing1，ZHANG Ye1，GU Ming2
1. Department of Civil Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072,China；2. State Key Laboratory for Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092,China
Abstract：Aerodynamic characteristics of inclined and yawed stay cables with upper rivulet are investigated by wind tunnel tests in the critical Reynolds number regime. The variations of mean wind pressures and aerodynamic forces on the cable model with rivulet positions are obtained at several typical wind angles. Furthermore, the aerodynamic stability of the cable is discussed based on Den Hartog’s criterion. It is found that the aerodynamic characteristics of cables with upper rivulet change drastically when the Reynolds number increases from the subcritical regime to the critical regime. The upper rivulet will affect the flow separation and induce reattachment of separated flow on the upper side of the cable. According to the classical galloping theory, rain-wind-induced vibration of stay cables can still occur at critical Reynolds numbers; however, the possibility of the aerodynamic instability reduces.
2013, Vol. 32 
