Experimental Investigation of Skew Wind Effects on Vortex-Induced Vibration of Typical Bridge Decks

This study explores the skew wind effects on vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of two typical bridge decks-a closed-box girder and a twin-edge girder-through spring-suspended oblique section model tests. Experiments were conducted at various wind yaw angles and angles of attack. Results indicate that VIV amplitudes and lock-in ranges exhibit a clear variation with yaw angles, rendering the Independence Principle (IP) unsuitable for these configurations. A heave-torsion coupling phenomenon was observed in both heaving and torsional VIV, attributed to the eccentricity of the center of gravity due to asymmetric end segments. A novel numerical algorithm was introduced to correct peak VIV amplitudes for variations in structural mass-damping parameters across yaw angles. The most unfavorable VIV responses occurred under skew wind conditions, with maximum amplitudes increasing by approximately 20.1 percent for heaving VIV and 179.8 percent for torsional VIV in the closed-box girder, and by 3.9 percent for heaving VIV in the twin-edge girder, relative to normal wind conditions.