Aerodynamic stability of non-symmetrically erected suspension bridge girders

An aeroelastic model of a suspension bridge at its deck erection stages was wind tunnel tested. With a shallow streamlined box as its deck cross-section, the flutter-type instability was the main concern. An interesting observation was that the bridge was found to be more stable when the suspended deck was extended in a non-symmetric manner as opposed to the traditional symmetric erection schedule. It is possible to use non-symmetric deck configurations as a stabilizing measure during the deck erection. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.