AeroCloud: A Game-Changer in Bridge Aerodynamics Analysis

At NablaFlow, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of aerodynamic analysis with our innovative tool, AeroCloud. We are thrilled to share our recent collaboration with Statens Vegvesen, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, on the aerodynamic analysis of an innovative floating bridge, during its planning phase. This collaboration has showcased the potential of AeroCloud as a useful tool for bridge design and engineering.

Aims for the E39 Coastal Highway Route

Statens Vegvesen is currently planning a series of bridges along the west coast of Norway as part of the E39 Coastal Highway Route project. This ambitious project aims to develop the E39 as an improved and continuous Coastal Highway Route between Kristiansand and Trondheim. This will reduce travel time by half, making the route safer and more reliable and strengthen the basis for developing Norway’s largest export region. The project includes several bridges, tunnels and roads, intending to improve connectivity and foster regional growth.

AeroCloud in Action: The Bjørnafjord Project

One of the key projects is the Bjørnafjord bridge project, part of the E39 Stord-Os (Hordfast) project, where AeroCloud was utilized. The floating bridge, spanning 5.5 km and featuring a curved design, presented unique challenges in terms of wind analysis, partly due to the varying angles the wind crosses the bridge along its length.

In 2018, wind tunnel tests were conducted to obtain aerodynamic coefficients of the bridge under skew winds. However, these tests were performed in a limited range of skew wind angles due to physical limitations of the wind tunnel and since it was still an early phase of the project. This is where AeroCloud recently stepped in, during the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) phase of the Bjørnafjord project. AeroCloud offered full flexibility with respect to model size, selection of the section being measured, and the relative angles between the wind and the bridge. It was then used to test the same cross-section as in 2018, but in a wider range of skew wind angles. AeroCloud’s practicality and speed in providing results were key advantages. While obtaining new aerodynamic coefficients from wind tunnel tests could take weeks or months, AeroCloud provided results within a few days or even hours. This allowed the project team to quickly gather more knowledge about the bridge’s behaviour for skew wind angles that were not previously available.

AeroCloud’s Impact

The insights from the wind simulations have been used to update the models and analyses with slightly more accurate results, without delaying the project. Statens Vegvesen was interested in the aerodynamic data for all 6 degrees of freedom (3 forces and 3 moments). These forces and moments are crucial in understanding the aerodynamic behaviour of the bridge under different wind conditions. They help engineers design bridges that can withstand strong winds and storms, while maintaining safety, stability, and durability.

A Word from Bernardo Costa

Bernardo Costa, a bridge engineer at Statens Vegvesen who recently finished his PhD on bridge aerodynamics in skew winds, played a key role in this project. He shared his thoughts on the collaboration: “AeroCloud allowed us to quickly simulate the Bjørnafjord bridge behaviour under skew winds, providing us with new and valuable insight for the project. The interface was very convenient and easy to use. There is a clear potential for AeroCloud to be used more often in the future in bridge aerodynamics.”

Conclusion

The collaboration between Statens Vegvesen and NablaFlow has demonstrated AeroClouds potential as an easy-to-use and time-saving tool within the field of bridge design and engineering. While rigorous wind tunnel tests are still considered the gold standard in bridge engineering, AeroCloud’s ability to provide quick evaluations of different bridge geometries and their behaviour under skew winds could be a game-changer. In the future, numerical tools such as AeroCloud could potentially replace wind tunnels. This would revolutionize the process of aerodynamic analysis in bridge design, making it faster, more flexible, and more efficient. At NablaFlow, we continue to innovate and push the boundaries of aerodynamic analysis, so stay tuned for more updates on exciting projects and collaborations!