Passive Winglet Control of Flutter and Buffeting Responses of Suspension Bridges

The passive control using winglets has been considered to be an alternative solution for control of flutter and buffeting responses of long suspension bridges. This method is aimed at not only developing lightweight, reduced-cost stiffening girders without adding stiffness for aerodynamic stability, but also avoiding problems from malfunctions caused by the control and energy supply systems of active control devices by winglets. This paper presented a mechanically controlled approach using the winglets, for which a two-dimensional bridge deck model was numerically and experimentally studied. In addition, numerical research on the flutter and buffeting passive control of a 3000m span suspension bridge was carried out. The result showed that the flutter speed of the suspension bridge increases, whereas the buffeting response decreases, through the implementation of the winglets.