Study of Reynolds Number Effects on Aerodynamic Forces and Vortex-Induced Vibration Characteristics of a Streamlined Box Girder

Due to the limitations of wind tunnel speed and size, achieving a model’s Reynolds number equal to the actual Reynolds number is challenging and may lead to discrepancies between experimental and actual results. To investigate the effects of the Reynolds number on the aerodynamic forces and vortex-i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Binxuan Wang, Yifei Sun, Qingkuan Liu, Zhen Li, Yuan Han, Kaiwen Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/4/2202
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850238749513875456
author Binxuan Wang
Yifei Sun
Qingkuan Liu
Zhen Li
Yuan Han
Kaiwen Li
author_facet Binxuan Wang
Yifei Sun
Qingkuan Liu
Zhen Li
Yuan Han
Kaiwen Li
author_sort Binxuan Wang
collection DOAJ
description Due to the limitations of wind tunnel speed and size, achieving a model’s Reynolds number equal to the actual Reynolds number is challenging and may lead to discrepancies between experimental and actual results. To investigate the effects of the Reynolds number on the aerodynamic forces and vortex-induced vibration (VIV) characteristics of a streamlined box girder, wind tunnel tests were conducted to study the variations in aerodynamic forces and surface pressures on the static main beam, as well as the VIV response and time–frequency characteristics of the aerodynamic forces on the dynamic main beam, as the Reynolds number varied. The results indicate that in static tests, as the Reynolds number increases, the drag coefficient of the main beam decreases, the lift coefficient slightly increases, and the pitching moment coefficient remains almost unchanged. The root mean square (RMS) values of the wind pressure coefficients show a significant Reynolds number effect, with values generally decreasing as the Reynolds number increases. In free vibration tests, as the Reynolds number increases, the onset wind speed of VIV increases from 14.35 m/s to 16.03 m/s, the maximum amplitude decreases from 0.076 to 0.004, and the VIV lock-in range narrows. The dynamic pressure results indicate that as the Reynolds number increases, the RMS values of the wind pressure coefficients decrease. At some measurement points, the dominant frequencies of the fluctuating pressure amplitude spectra deviate from the corresponding VIV frequency, and the correlation and contribution coefficients between the local aerodynamic forces and the overall vortex-induced force (VIF) decrease. These changes may explain the reduction in the VIV amplitude with an increasing Reynolds number. The motion state of the main beam has a minimal effect on the mean wind pressure coefficients and their Reynolds number effect, whereas it has a more significant effect on the RMS values of the pressure coefficients.
format Article
id doaj-art-682dd30605b347d098e74434aa72b5fb
institution OA Journals
issn 2076-3417
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-682dd30605b347d098e74434aa72b5fb2025-08-20T02:01:21ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-02-01154220210.3390/app15042202Study of Reynolds Number Effects on Aerodynamic Forces and Vortex-Induced Vibration Characteristics of a Streamlined Box GirderBinxuan Wang0Yifei Sun1Qingkuan Liu2Zhen Li3Yuan Han4Kaiwen Li5School of Civil Engineering, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050043, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050043, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050043, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050043, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050043, ChinaDue to the limitations of wind tunnel speed and size, achieving a model’s Reynolds number equal to the actual Reynolds number is challenging and may lead to discrepancies between experimental and actual results. To investigate the effects of the Reynolds number on the aerodynamic forces and vortex-induced vibration (VIV) characteristics of a streamlined box girder, wind tunnel tests were conducted to study the variations in aerodynamic forces and surface pressures on the static main beam, as well as the VIV response and time–frequency characteristics of the aerodynamic forces on the dynamic main beam, as the Reynolds number varied. The results indicate that in static tests, as the Reynolds number increases, the drag coefficient of the main beam decreases, the lift coefficient slightly increases, and the pitching moment coefficient remains almost unchanged. The root mean square (RMS) values of the wind pressure coefficients show a significant Reynolds number effect, with values generally decreasing as the Reynolds number increases. In free vibration tests, as the Reynolds number increases, the onset wind speed of VIV increases from 14.35 m/s to 16.03 m/s, the maximum amplitude decreases from 0.076 to 0.004, and the VIV lock-in range narrows. The dynamic pressure results indicate that as the Reynolds number increases, the RMS values of the wind pressure coefficients decrease. At some measurement points, the dominant frequencies of the fluctuating pressure amplitude spectra deviate from the corresponding VIV frequency, and the correlation and contribution coefficients between the local aerodynamic forces and the overall vortex-induced force (VIF) decrease. These changes may explain the reduction in the VIV amplitude with an increasing Reynolds number. The motion state of the main beam has a minimal effect on the mean wind pressure coefficients and their Reynolds number effect, whereas it has a more significant effect on the RMS values of the pressure coefficients.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/4/2202Reynolds number effectstreamlined box girderaerodynamic forcevortex-induced vibrationwind tunnel test
spellingShingle Binxuan Wang
Yifei Sun
Qingkuan Liu
Zhen Li
Yuan Han
Kaiwen Li
Study of Reynolds Number Effects on Aerodynamic Forces and Vortex-Induced Vibration Characteristics of a Streamlined Box Girder
Applied Sciences
Reynolds number effect
streamlined box girder
aerodynamic force
vortex-induced vibration
wind tunnel test
title Study of Reynolds Number Effects on Aerodynamic Forces and Vortex-Induced Vibration Characteristics of a Streamlined Box Girder
title_full Study of Reynolds Number Effects on Aerodynamic Forces and Vortex-Induced Vibration Characteristics of a Streamlined Box Girder
title_fullStr Study of Reynolds Number Effects on Aerodynamic Forces and Vortex-Induced Vibration Characteristics of a Streamlined Box Girder
title_full_unstemmed Study of Reynolds Number Effects on Aerodynamic Forces and Vortex-Induced Vibration Characteristics of a Streamlined Box Girder
title_short Study of Reynolds Number Effects on Aerodynamic Forces and Vortex-Induced Vibration Characteristics of a Streamlined Box Girder
title_sort study of reynolds number effects on aerodynamic forces and vortex induced vibration characteristics of a streamlined box girder
topic Reynolds number effect
streamlined box girder
aerodynamic force
vortex-induced vibration
wind tunnel test
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/4/2202
work_keys_str_mv AT binxuanwang studyofreynoldsnumbereffectsonaerodynamicforcesandvortexinducedvibrationcharacteristicsofastreamlinedboxgirder
AT yifeisun studyofreynoldsnumbereffectsonaerodynamicforcesandvortexinducedvibrationcharacteristicsofastreamlinedboxgirder
AT qingkuanliu studyofreynoldsnumbereffectsonaerodynamicforcesandvortexinducedvibrationcharacteristicsofastreamlinedboxgirder
AT zhenli studyofreynoldsnumbereffectsonaerodynamicforcesandvortexinducedvibrationcharacteristicsofastreamlinedboxgirder
AT yuanhan studyofreynoldsnumbereffectsonaerodynamicforcesandvortexinducedvibrationcharacteristicsofastreamlinedboxgirder
AT kaiwenli studyofreynoldsnumbereffectsonaerodynamicforcesandvortexinducedvibrationcharacteristicsofastreamlinedboxgirder