Application of the k–ω turbulence model for a wind-induced vibration study of 2D bluff bodies

This paper is concerned with the question of an appropriate turbulence model for the computational modelling of bridge deck aero-elasticity. A detailed examination of the suitability of different turbulence models for simulating various aero-elastic phenomena leads to the conclusion that the two equation k–ω RANS turbulence model strikes the right balance between computational efficiency and accuracy in simulating the flow regime. In order to test this hypothesis a rectangular prism with B/D=4 is taken as an example structure and the flutter derivatives are identified from FSI simulations for both low and medium turbulent flow regimes. The simulations are carried out using a block iterative sequential coupling routine that allows for the exploitation of existing fluid and structural solvers. The results show that the k–ω can adequately model the motion induced shear layer dynamics that are necessary for simulating FSI. The results also demonstrate the potential benefits of computational FSI studies in that flutter derivatives (and other aerodynamic coefficients) can readily be obtained without some of the problems encountered in wind tunnel tests.