Computational Analysis of Wind-Induced Driving Safety Under Wind–Rain Coupling Effect Based on Field Measurements

Extreme events such as tropical cyclones frequently occur in coastal areas in China. With high wind speeds and rainfall during such extreme events, the vehicles on sea-crossing bridges may face severe instability problems. In this study, the dynamics of vehicles on a cross-sea bridge under the wind–rain coupling effect were analyzed based on field measurement data using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Wind field parameters of the coastal area in China were obtained using wind speed data from measurement towers. Based on CFD, the sliding grid method was applied to establish an aerodynamic analysis model of a container truck moving on a bridge under wind and rain conditions. The discrete phase model based on the Euler–Lagrange method was used to investigate the influence of rain and obtain the aerodynamic characteristics of the truck under the coupled wind and rain effects. Based on the computational analysis results, considering the turbulence intensity, the yaw angle peaks of the tractor and trailer increased by 5.2% and 3.8%, respectively, and the lateral displacement of the truck’s center of mass increased by 9.8%. Rainfall may cause the vehicle to have a higher response, resulting in a high risk of skidding. The results show that skidding occurs for the considered container truck when rainfall is at 9.8%. These results can provide parameters for traffic control strategies under such extreme climate events in coastal areas.