Wind‐Induced Motions of Deer Isle Bridge

Abstract

The Deer Islc‐Sedgwick Suspension Bridge in Maine, constructed around the same time as the old Tacoma Narrows Bridge, has a history of objectionable wind‐induced response. This bridge has been the subject of an extensive field survey by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration for the last several years. The Deer Isle bridge, by virtue of this availability of field data, was a field experiment in a comprehensive study aimed at corroborating and sharpening the wind response computation of these flexible long‐span bridges. The study helped recognize the “signature” or “self‐induced” turbulence as one of the important, if not the primary, mechanisms behind buffeting‐type response. The present paper discusses the types of field wind‐driven motions observed, and, both experimental and analytical investigations centered around the wind response prediction of long‐span bridges accounting for the effects of this signature turbulence.