Experimental Aerodynamic Control of a Long-Span Suspension Bridge Section Using Leading- and Trailing-Edge Control Surfaces

• Published in: IEEE transactions on control systems technology Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 1441 - 1453
• Main Authors: Gouder, Kevin, Xiaowei Zhao, Limebeer, David J. N., Graham, J. Michael R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.07.2016; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Aerodynamics; Bridges; Buffeting; Control surfaces; Control systems; Damping; Decks; Flaps; Flutter; Force; Heave; long-span suspension bridge; Pitch angle; robust control; Structural panels; Suspension bridges; thin aerofoil theory; Vibration; Wind speed; wind tunnel experiments; control surfaces; flaps; long-span suspension bridge; flutter; wind tunnel experiments; thin aerofoil theory; robust control; Buffeting
• ISSN: 1063-6536; 1558-0865
• DOI: 10.1109/TCST.2015.2501346

We experimentally investigate the suppression of flutter in long-span suspension bridges. A rigid sectional model of a long-span suspension bridge is mounted in a wind tunnel on a suspension system. Control surfaces, which are used to suppress flutter, are movable flaps that are fitted to the bridge section's leading and trailing edges. The flaps are responsive to the deck's heave and pitch motions. In this paper, the aerodynamic force is modeled using a thin aerofoil theory, although other modeling techniques can be used. The controller has a second-order passive transfer function with inputs of a combination of the deck's pitch angle and heave position, and outputs of the flaps' angular positions. The control system design problem is solved as an H ∞ optimization problem.