ABSTRACT
Owing to the advanced monitoring techniques and sensor technology, most of the prominent long-span bridges in the world are equipped with monitoring systems that provide information on the wind effects on the structures, as well as the dynamic response of the structure under wind actions. This allowed identifying several important research directions that attracted significant attention over the last few years such as the effect of nonstationarity due to non-synoptic winds, wind field variability in complex terrain or evolution of bridge dynamic characteristics under wind effects. Monitoring efforts on bridges located in complex terrain indicated that the wind and turbulence effects on the structures show significant randomness and it is clear that the uncertainty in the wind field needs to be modeled well for reliable design of these structures. In other words, such a situation demands accurate modeling of the wind field that accounts for the uncertainty induced by the local terrain. Although wind tunnel tests and numerical investigations can be helpful, the most reliable information is obtained by the on-site measurements, typically by on-mast anemometers or lidars. In this paper, the possibility of using such data to establish better turbulence models that accounts for terrain-induced randomness is discussed, using the findings from monitoring campaigns in Norway. Subsequently, the investigation is exemplified using a future bridge site in Norway as a case study and the possible challenges are highlighted.
