Active aerodynamic stabilisation of long suspension bridges

The paper describes the addition of actively controlled aerodynamic appendages (flaps) attached along the length of the bridge deck to dampen wind-induced oscillations in long suspension bridges. A novel approach using control systems methods for the analysis of dynamic stability is presented. In order to make use of control analysis and design techniques, a linear model of the structural and aerodynamic motion around equilibrium is developed. The model is validated through comparison with finite element calculations and wind tunnel experimental data on the Great Belt East Bridge in Denmark. The developed active control scheme is local in that the flap control signal at a given longitudinal position along the bridge only depends on local motion measurements. The analysis makes use of the Nyquist stability criteria and an analysis of the sensitivity function for stability analysis. The analysis shows that the critical wind speed for flutter instability and divergence is increased substantially by active control.