WIND
ENGINEERING
SOCIETY
C/o the Institution of Civil Engineers
One Great George Street
Westminster
London SW1P 3AA
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7665 2234
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7799 1325
www.windengineering.org.uk
THE SCRUTON LECTURE
At the
INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
ONE GREAT GEORGE STREET, LONDON, SW1P 3AA
Monday 25 November 2013 at 6.30pm
(Registration & refreshments available from 6.00)
Changing Dynamic of Bridge
Aerodynamics?
DR AHSAN KAREEM
ROBERT M MORAN PROFESSOR OF ENGINEERING AND
GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATHAZ
MODELING LABORATORY, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
CHAIRMAN: JOHN KILPATRICK
TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT- PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK ON THE
ICE WEBSITE http://www.ice.org.uk/Events-conferences/Events/ScrutonLecture-2013---Changing-Dynamic-of-Bridge-
Synopsis
Assurance of the safety and reliability of longspan bridges under winds requires
accurate modeling of wind-induced effects such as buffeting, flutter, vortexinduced vibration, and rain-wind induced vibration. The increasing need to bridge
river basins, straits and even parts of oceans worldwide has led to progressively
increasing spans and utilization of innovative deck sections.
This has led to significant changes in the aerodynamic characteristics of bridges
with attendant consequences in the performance of bridges under winds. Notable
observations of unsteady and nonlinear bridge behavior in wind-tunnel
experiments and full-scale measurements uniformly point at the changing
dynamic of bridge aerodynamics. This has prompted the need for improved
understanding and development of new analysis frameworks that are attentive to
both unsteady and nonlinear interactions experienced by bridge decks as wind
blows around them.
The sketch below reflects the central theme of the presentation.
Early developments in bridge aerodynamics, including Kit Scruton’s
contributions to aerodynamic tailoring of bridge decks and the current state-ofthe-art, will be revisited. This will be followed by an overview of the current
advanced analysis schemes and beyond used to better capture unsteady and
nonlinear effects important for the next generation of bridges.
Biography
Ahsan Kareem is the Robert M. Moran Professor of Civil Engineering and Geological
Sciences and the director of the NatHaz Modeling Laboratory at the University of
Notre Dame. His research uses computer models and laboratory and full-scale
experiments to study the dynamic effects of environmental loads under winds, waves,
and earthquakes in order to understand and predict the impact of natural hazards on
the constructed environment and to develop mitigation strategies that enhance the
performance and safety of structures.
He is a former president of the American Association for Wind
Engineering, and past editor-in-chief for the international journal Wind and Structures.
Dr. Kareem is the recipient of the Alan G. Davenport Medal, Robert H. Scanlan Medal
and the Jack E. Cermak Medal. Dr. Kareem was elected to the National Academy of
Engineering, USA in 2009 for his contributions in analyses and designs to account for
wind effects on tall buildings, long-span bridges, and other structures. In 2010, he was
elected as a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. In 2010,
he was elected as a distinguished Member of ASCE for his knowledge, eminence in
the field of wind engineering, structural engineering, engineering mechanics, for
profound contributions to the ASCE Wind Loads Standards and for development of
web-based technologies and design tools for practice. Dr. Kareem was appointed
Honorary Professor of Tongji University, Shanghai, PROC, 2010 and The Hong Kong
Polytechnic University in Oct 2012, The Southeast University, PROC in 2013. In 2011,
he was inducted to the Offshore Technology Conference Hall of Fame, ASCE/COPRI
for his paper presented at early years of OTC that offered innovation, direction and
lasting impact on the design, construction or installation of offshore infrastructure; in
2012, he was appointed by the State Council of China as a High-End Consultant to
Tongji University.
In 2013, he received 2013 IASSAR Distinguished Research Award from the
International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability Dr. Kareem received his
PhD (1978) in civil engineering from Colorado State University, M.Sc. (1975) in civil
engineering from the University of Hawaii with a joint program at MIT, and B.Sc.
(1968) in civil engineering from the West Pakistan University of Engineering and
Technology. He has served as Chair of the Engineering Mechanics Division of ASCE
and currently serves in the same position of the Technical Activities Division of the
Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE.