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Critical Reynolds number and galloping instabilities – Experiments on circular cylinders

Inclined cables, as found on cable-stayed bridges and guyed masts, commonly experience large-amplitude vibrations due to wind. However, understanding aerodynamic-forcing mechanisms has been elusive. Paper presents measured pressure distributions on surface of moving inclined cylinders for first time, identifying asymmetric flow states in critical Reynolds-number range, which are believed to provide forcing mechanism. Work led to Macdonald being appointed advisor on two international research projects for: (1) US Federal Highways Administration / National Research Council of Canada; (2) Femern A/S (Denmark-Germany 19km crossing, bridge option) / Danish Technical University.