Aerodynamic coefficients of stationary dry inclined bridge cables in laminar flow

Stay cables are the most flexible elements of cable-stayed bridges. When exposed to wind loading, they often undergo large amplitude vibrations, thus motivating serious design concerns. In most cases, vibrations are observed in the presence of water rivulets or ice accretions, which lead to an effective change in the cable cross section, and its aerodynamic properties. On the other hand, divergent, self-excited vibrations have been observed in the field also for dry, inclined stay cables, in warm temperatures. The need for reliable design guidelines for inclined stay cables has motivated experimental and theoretical research in the last two decades, even though a definitive understanding of the flow around inclined cables under various surface conditions has not been achieved. A comparative study on the aerodynamic coefficients of stationary inclined stay cables, under various surface conditions, i.e. dry, wet and icy, in laminar and turbulent flow, has been initiated at the new DTU/Force Climatic Wind Tunnel facility in Denmark. This paper covers selected results of the comparative study, i.e. aerodynamic coefficients of dry inclined cables in laminar flow conditions.