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| Mott MacDonald specialist won Royal Society Industry Fellowship Fluid dynamics specialist Dr Nicholas Waterson from engineering consultant Mott MacDonald has been awarded a Royal Society Industry Fellowship to progress his research into the computer simulation of bridge-deck aerodynamics. The project will be carried out in collaboration with the Aeronautics Department at Imperial College, London University, and will run for 16 months starting in November 2006. As the design of long-span bridges and other slender structures becomes ever more ambitious, each new design stretches the available technology further. A key limiting factor in the performance of such structures is their tendency to move under the influence of aerodynamic forces in a manner governed by a complex interplay of the wind and structure. The use of computer flow simulation offers the possibility of both reducing the amount of expensive wind-tunnel testing required and achieving more effective designs through better insight and optimisation. At present the industrial use of the available technology is quite limited and this project aims to take it out of the realm of university research and into the design office as a practical tool. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Construction News :: home page |