On the aerodynamic and aeroelastic response of a bridge tower

This work is concerned with the aerodynamic characterization of a cable-stayed bridge tower in free-standing configuration; experimental tests were performed at Politecnico di Milano Wind Tunnel under smooth and turbulent flow conditions. The aerodynamic behavior of the tower was investigated through static and dynamic tests on a 1:30 scale sectional model; the whole structure response has been studied using a 1:100 scale full aeroelastic model in stand-alone configuration. Aim of this paper is to compare wind tunnel test results obtained on the two models for different wind exposures, discussing the problems related to scale effects in scale model testing. Some inconsistencies found during the experimental campaign confirm that scale effects in wind tunnel testing represent a serious issue especially for bluff body structures whose vortex shedding response is strongly affected by Reynolds number.