Assessment of driving safety considering wind-vehicle-bridge coupling effects

Abstract

Crosswinds impact the vibration of bridges and the driving safety of vehicles on them. Studying the interaction between vehicles, bridges, and crosswinds is crucial to investigating the safety of vehicles traveling on bridges. In this paper, based on the wind-vehicle-bridge system, considering the effect of bridge vibration on vehicles under crosswinds, the equation of critical speed of the vehicle for three kinds of wind-caused accidents is derived by establishing the basic equation of the vehicle model. Then the aerodynamic coefficients of vehicles in both bridge and ground conditions are obtained through wind tunnel tests, and the critical speed of vehicles under different locations (bridge, ground) and four road conditions (dry, wet, snowy, and icy) through a new evaluation method. The results show a difference between the aerodynamic coefficients of vehicles on bridges and the ground. The critical speed of vehicles decreases with the increase in crosswind speed. The lower the friction coefficient between tires and road surface, the more likely the vehicle will be involved in an accident.