Experimental Investigation on Aerodynamic Interference of Vehicles on Single-Level Rail-Cum-Road Bridge under Crosswinds

Single-level rail-cum-road steel box girder is a relatively new form of bridge superstructure that accommodates railway and highway in the same level. The wind flow pattern over the bridge deck is quite complex and a new issue of aerodynamic interference between vehicles also rise up. This paper conducted an in-depth investigation on the aerodynamic characteristics of vehicles on a single-level rail-cum-road bridge as well as the aerodynamic interference among vehicles. The results reveal that the bridge deck makes the aerodynamic coefficients of vehicles on windward lanes vary a lot with respect to vehicle location and vehicle type, while it also well protects the train and leeward road vehicles from large wind load. Among all the vehicles, the van gets several of the largest aerodynamic coefficients and is considered as a critical vehicle. In terms of the vehicles' interference, the upstream truck trailer brings significant aerodynamic variation for the overtaking vehicle, but its inadequate shelter effect yields fluctuation in the variation. An upstream truck trailer brings significant rise for the aerodynamic load of the train, larger distance between the train and the truck trailer will bring larger increase on the train's aerodynamic load.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the aerodynamic characteristics of vehicles on a single-level rail-cum-road bridge, as well as the aerodynamic interference among vehicles. The results show that the bridge deck significantly affects the aerodynamic coefficients of windward lane vehicles, while protecting the train and leeward road vehicles from wind load. Among all vehicles, the van has the largest aerodynamic coefficients and is considered critical. The upstream truck trailer causes significant aerodynamic variation for overtaking vehicles, but its inadequate shelter effect leads to fluctuation. Moreover, the train experiences a significant increase in aerodynamic load with larger distance to the truck trailer.