Buffeting response of a free-standing bridge pylon in a trumpet-shaped mountain pass

The accurate estimation of the buffeting response of a bridge pylon is related to the quality of the bridge construction. To evaluate the influence of wind field characteristics on the buffeting response of a pylon in a trumpet-shaped mountain pass, this paper deduced a multimodal coupled buffeting frequency domain calculation method for a variable-section bridge tower under the twisted wind profile condition based on quasi-steady theory. Through the long-term measurement of the wind field of the trumpet-shaped mountain pass, the wind characteristics were studied systematically. The effects of the wind characteristics, wind yaw angles, mean wind speeds, and wind profiles on the buffeting response were discussed. The results show that the mean wind characteristics are affected by the terrain and that the wind profile is severely twisted. The optimal fit distribution of the monthly and annual maximum wind speeds is the log-logistic distribution, and the generalized extreme value I distribution may underestimate the return wind speed. The design wind characteristics will overestimate the buffeting response of the pylon. The buffeting response of the pylon is obviously affected by the wind yaw angle and mean wind speed. To accurately estimate the buffeting response of the pylon in an actual construction, it is necessary to consider the twisted effect of the wind profile.