An experimental validation of a band superposition model of the aerodynamic forces acting on multi-box deck sections

Nonlinear aerodynamic effects on a multi-box deck section are both numerically and experimentally investigated. The basic hypothesis of the band superposition approach, a methodology to model the aeroelastic and buffeting terms of the wind loads acting on a bridge deck, is validated through specific wind tunnel tests on a sectional model. An improved version of the band superposition approach is proposed, introducing a rheological model for high frequency unsteady forces. The numerical model is validated against wind tunnel tests performed by means of an active turbulence generator and a multi-box deck sectional model. Finally, the linear and nonlinear approaches are compared with full scale simulations of the numerical response of a sectional bridge to an incoming real turbulent wind.