Anti-Tsunami Measures for Bridges using Partial Fairings

Abstract

The effects of partial fairings and grating slabs on reducing tsunami-induced forces on bridges were studied. Fairings are effective to reduce drag, but have limited effect on reducing lift. Therefore, this study conducted numerical simulations to propose an effective fairing and an open grating floor slab. A semicircular fairing was attached to the side of the bridge deck model and a grating floor slab was modeled as a hollow space in the deck. Forces on the bridge deck model were compared between various types of models with and without a fairing and a grating slab. The results show that using a fairing and an open grating slab can reduce lift as well as drag caused by a tsunami. A fairing that covers more than 75% width with an open grating slab could reduce both the drag and the lift in 20% compared to the original bridge model.