Contribution of numerical simulation to evaluating the effect of section details on the aerodynamic behaviour of a long-span bridge deck

Presented herein is a numerical study for evaluating the aerodynamic behaviour of equipped bridge deck sections. In the first part, the method adopted is described, in particular as regards turbulence models, meshing requirements and numerical approach. The procedure is then validated by a simulation in the case of the two-dimensional, steady, incompressible, turbulent flow around an actual bridge deck: the numerical results are compared with the mean values of data from wind-tunnel tests. In the second part, the effect of each item of equipment of the section (such as central barriers, side railings and sidewalks) on the aerodynamic behaviour of the deck is evaluated. The study has been applied to a deck section of the Normandy cable-stayed bridge.