Ferrari designers to shape new Forth bridge

Published on Friday 1 January 2010 21:59

THEY have streamlined Ferrari racing cars, sculpted the sails on the world's fastest yachts and made sure that the London Eye keeps turning.

Now the team behind some of the world's most exclusive design projects are bringing their aerodynamic know-how to bear on the new Forth bridge.

Transport Scotland has enlisted the help of engineers at Italian university Politecnico di Milano to windproof the new Forth replacement crossing (FRC), allowing drivers to use the bridge even in the harshest of conditions.

Using complex wind tunnel tests, the Italian team are studying the way air moves around a series of scale models of the proposed bridge, as they try to construct a barrier that protects high-sided vehicles while offering a reasonable view from the bridge for drivers.

The 14x4m-high wind tunnel simulates the conditions in the Firth of Forth, including the harsh weather and alignment of the bridge in relation to prevailing winds.

Further tests will then determine the aerodynamic behaviour of the road, towers and eventually the bridge's entire structure.

Billy Minto, Transport Scotland's structures team manager for the FRC, said yesterday: "The effects of wind on large structures, such as the Forth replacement crossing require very careful consideration.

"Computer testing cannot fully quantify the effects of wind on large bridges, so tests using scale models are required to provide additional information and are an essential tool in the design process.

"A key requirement of the Forth replacement crossing is that traffic is able to cross the bridge during periods of high wind.

"The wind shield is therefore essential to provide the level of reliability we are looking for on such an important link in Scotland's transport network."

Designers are hoping that rigorous testing will enable the Forth bridge to perform as well as the second Severn crossing.

Finished 12 years ago, the Severn crossing has never been closed due to high winds.

The news comes as Transport Scotland announced they had completed the list of contractors for the Forth replacement crossing with the appointment of Heath Lambert as the insurance advisors.

Project director John Howison said: "This appointment will allow us to examine the benefits of a bespoke project insurance policy for this major infrastructure project alongside the procurement competition.

"This approach has been of interest to us for some time as a way of further improving site confidence in the construction of our transport projects."

The Politecnico di Milano was founded in 1863 and is a world leader in wind engineering and aerodynamics.

The Italian team was recently involved in testing Italy's proposed record-breaking 3,000m-span Messina Crossing.