Field measurement study of wind characteristics at different measuring positions along a bridge in a mountain valley

Wind field characteristics were investigated with a non-stationary wind speed model at a bridge in a mountain valley, where five anemometers were set along the bridge span for long-term field measurements. The mean wind characteristics, such as mean wind speed and direction, were studied with a traditional steady wind-speed model, which showed the significant influence of the terrain on the mean wind characteristics. In addition, data for certain strong-wind weather conditions were measured, and the non-stationary analysis of strong wind samples were conducted using the run test and wavelet analysis. Subsequently, the characteristics of the fluctuating wind—time-varying mean wind speed, turbulence intensity, turbulence integral scale, and power spectral density (PSD)—were compared based on the two wind speed models. The comparative results indicated that the mountain valley wind field was substantially affected by the terrain and exhibited a strong non-stationarity. However, there were certain differences between the wind field characteristics of the two wind speed models, and the recommended value was not completely consistent for the field measurements in the current specification. •A year-long field measurement of the wind field at the long-span bridge site in the mountainous valley.•Construct a non-stationary wind speed model suitable for mountain wind field, and extract the time-varying mean wind speed.•Using traditional stationary and non-stationary wind speed models to studying the wind field in mountainous valleys.