Comparable study on turbulence integral scale of measured strong wind on Sutong Bridge

Turbulence integral scale is one of the important parameters to reflect wind characteristics. Field measurement is the only efficient way to get the accurate and reliable wind characteristics for engineering structures. The wind data recorded by structural health monitoring system (SHMS) of Sutong Bridge is used in the paper. The typhoons including Fungwong, Kalmaegi in summer and the Northern Wind in winter of 2008 are taken as the examples to analyze the turbulence characteristics of the strong wind records. The turbulence integral scale of the recorded wind data is investigated with four common methods, and the analysis results using different methods are compared to validate the reliability of the calculation. The relationships between the turbulence integral scale and the height as well as the mean wind speed are analyzed. Results show that there is no clear relationship between the turbulence integral scale and wind speed, and the turbulence integral scale at the top of the tower is larger than that at the midspan. Results can enlarge the wind database of the Sutong Bridge, provide reference for analysis of the turbulence integral scale, and establish the measurement basis for the strong wind environment and wind resistance evaluation of the Sutong Bridge.