Non-stationary flow forces for the numerical simulation of aeroelastic instability of bridge decks

The aeroelastic wind forces acting on a streamlined bridge deck are analytically modeled and implemented in a finite element code for the investigation of aeroelastic instability and for structural analysis in non-linear dynamics. The present paper extends a previously introduced model, fully in the time domain, taking into account the "memory effect" of the aeroelastic processes, in order to reduce the computational effort. The implementation is tested on a two-DOF system and on a suspension bridge model. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.