Long-span Suspension Bridge Flutter Analysis with Drag Force Effects

The paper investigates the influence of the drag force onto the flutter velocity and frequency of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. Finite element analyses were run in ANSYS by combining unsteady lift and moment actions with: (a) unsteady drag, (b) steady drag, (c) no drag. The finite element results are compared to those obtained by an in-house MATLAB code based on a semi-analytic continuum model and with others from the literature. The continuum model includes flexural-torsional second-order effects induced by steady drag force into the bridge’s equations of motion, in addition to unsteady lift and moment actions. The results show that good predictions of the flutter velocity can be obtained by combining steady drag with unsteady lift and moment.