Wind characteristics over a simplified gorge by wind tunnel test

A simplified gorge, which was abstracted from some real deep-cutting gorge where the long-span bridges straddle, was introduced in the present wind tunnel studies. Then the wind characteristics such as the mean wind speed, turbulence intensity and integral length scale over the simplified gorge were studied in a simulated atmospheric boundary layer. Furthermore, the effects of the oncoming wind field and oncoming wind direction on the wind characteristics over the simplified gorge was also investigated. The results show that compared with the oncoming wind, the wind speeds at the gorge center become larger, but the turbulence intensities at the gorge center become smaller. The different oncoming wind field have remarkable effects on the mean wind speed ratios near the ground. When the angle between the oncoming wind and the axis of the gorge is in certain range, such as smaller than 10°, the wind field in this case are very close to those associated with the wind direction of 0°. However, when the angle between the oncoming wind and the axis of the gorge is in other certain range, such as larger than 20°, the wind field in the gorge will significantly change.