Long-term extreme response of a long-span bridge accounting for parametric effects of wind turbulence: part I – methodology

This study investigates the long-term extreme response of suspension bridges exposed to the wind action, incorporating the parametric effects of large-scale turbulence induced by fluctuations in the angle of attack. These effects can significantly influence structural response and stability, as they may cause notable variations over time in aerodynamic damping and stiffness. Time-domain approaches are typically required to account for these effects, but they are computationally demanding, especially within a long-term analysis framework. To overcome this problem, an equivalent linear time-invariant frequency-domain approach is employed, enabling the efficient incorporation in the calculations of key turbulence-induced parametric effects. Additionally, a Gaussian Process Regression surrogate model is introduced to enhance computational feasibility in long-term analysis. In Part II, the proposed methodology is applied to the Halsafjorden Bridge, Norway, demonstrating the substantial impact of turbulence-induced parametric effects on the long-term response under two different wind probabilistic scenarios.