• Wind and Structures
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.551-567
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• 2017

Studies of unsymmetrical blade H-Darrieus rotors at low wind speeds in terms of starting time, static torque, and power performances for different blade parameters: thickness-to-chord (t/c), camber position, and solidity are scarce. However these are required for knowing insights of rotor performances to obtain some design guidelines for the selection of these rotors. Here, an attempt is made to quantify the effects of these blade parameters on the performances of three different H-Darrieus rotors at various low wind streams. Different blade profiles, namely S815, EN0005 (both unsymmetrical), and NACA 0018 (symmetrical blade for comparison) are considered. The rotors are investigated rigorously in a centrifugal blower apparatus. Firstly the dynamic and static performances of the rotors are evaluated to determine the best performing rotor and their optimum solidity. Generalised performance equations are developed based on selected blade parameters which are validated for the unsymmetrical rotors. Further, the starting time is quantified with respect to the rotor inertia to determine the suitable range of inertia that helps the unsymmetrical blade rotor to self-start earlier than the symmetrical one. This study can work as a benchmark for the selection of optimum blade parameters while designing an unsymmetrical blade rotor at low wind speeds.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.215-220
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• 2023

We study the progressive full-scale wind tunnel tests on a high solidity vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) for various tip speeds and pitch angles to understand the VAWT shaft system's dynamics using 0-1 Test for chaos. We identify that while varying rotor speed (tip speed) of the turbine, the system's dynamics change from periodic to chaotic through quasiperiodic and strange non-chaotic (SNA) states. The present study is the first experimental evidence for the existence of these states in the VAWT shaft system to the best of our knowledge. Using the asymptotic growth value Kc in 0-1 test, when the turbine operates at the low tip speeds and high pitch angles for low incoming wind speeds, the system behaves periodic (Kc ≈ 0). However, when the incoming wind speed increases further the system's dynamics shift from periodic to chaotic vibrations through quasi-periodic and SNA. This phenomenon is due to the dynamic stalling of blades which induces chaotic vibration in the VAWT shaft system. Further, the singular continuous spectrum method validates the presence of SNA and differentiates the SNA from chaotic vibrations.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.85-97
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• 2020

The accurate estimation of the buffeting response of a bridge pylon is related to the quality of the bridge construction. To evaluate the influence of wind field characteristics on the buffeting response of a pylon in a trumpet-shaped mountain pass, this paper deduced a multimodal coupled buffeting frequency domain calculation method for a variable-section bridge tower under the twisted wind profile condition based on quasi-steady theory. Through the long-term measurement of the wind field of the trumpet-shaped mountain pass, the wind characteristics were studied systematically. The effects of the wind characteristics, wind yaw angles, mean wind speeds, and wind profiles on the buffeting response were discussed. The results show that the mean wind characteristics are affected by the terrain and that the wind profile is severely twisted. The optimal fit distribution of the monthly and annual maximum wind speeds is the log-logistic distribution, and the generalized extreme value I distribution may underestimate the return wind speed. The design wind characteristics will overestimate the buffeting response of the pylon. The buffeting response of the pylon is obviously affected by the wind yaw angle and mean wind speed. To accurately estimate the buffeting response of the pylon in an actual construction, it is necessary to consider the twisted effect of the wind profile.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.55-70
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• 2011

This study investigates the design criteria required for wind barriers to protect vehicles running on an expressway under a high side wind. At the first stage of this study, the lateral deviations of vehicles in crosswinds were computed from the commercial software, CarSim and TruckSim, and the critical wind speeds for a car accident were then evaluated from a predefined car accident index. The critical wind speeds for driving stability were found to be 35 m/s for a small passenger car, yet 30 m/s for a truck and a bus. From the wind tunnel tests, the minimum height of a wind barrier required to reduce the wind speed by 50% was found to be 12.5% of the road width. In the case of parallel bridges, the placement of two edge wind barriers plus one wind barrier at center was recommended for a separation distance larger than 20 m (four lanes) and 10 m (six lanes) respectively, otherwise two wind barriers were recommended.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.179-191
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• 2006

Parent wind data are often acknowledged to fit a Weibull probability distribution, implying that wind epoch maxima should fall into the domain of attraction of the Gumbel (Type I) extreme value distribution. However, observations of wind epoch maxima are not fitted well by this distribution and a Generalised Extreme Value (GEV) analysis leading to a Type III fit empirically appears to be better. Thus there is an apparent paradox. The reasons why advocates of the GEV approach seem to prefer it are briefly summarised. This paper gives a detailed analysis of the errors involved when the GEV is fitted to epoch maxima of Weibull origin. It is shown that the results in terms of the shape parameter are an artefact of these errors. The errors are unavoidable with the present sample sizes. If proper significance tests are applied, then the null hypothesis of a Type I fit, as predicted by theory, will almost always be retained. The GEV leads to an unacceptable ambiguity in defining design loads. For these reasons, it is concluded that the GEV approach does not seem to be a sensible option.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2010

Recent increase in the strength and frequency of typoons due to climate change claims reconsideration of the design wind load in existing design codes for civil engineering structures in which the basic wind speed is estimated based on meteorological data by mid 1990s. In this paper, based on wind speed data at 76 observatories in Korea from 1961 through 2008, the basic wind speeds which can be utilized in designing civil engineering structures including buildings and bridges are estimated using the statistical process. The return period of the wind speed for each location is determined using the Gumbel distribution. The results for considered locations are compared to the existing design codes. Also, for design applications, the wind speed map, which classifies the country into four basic wind speed zones, is proposed using the resulting basic wind speeds.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.191-199
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• 2018

In this paper, wind data at 20 locations are collected and analyzed in order to review optimal candidate site for offshore wind farm around Korean marginal seas. Observed wind data is fitted to Rayleigh and Weibull distribution and annual energy production is estimated according to wind frequency. As the model of wind turbine generator, seven kinds of output of 1.5~5 MW were selected and their performance curves were used. As a result, Repower-5 MW turbines showed high energy production at wind speeds of 7.15 m/s or higher, but G128-4.5 MW turbines were found to be favorable at lower wind speeds. In the case of Marado, Geojedo and Pohang, where the rate of occurrence of wind speeds over 10 m/s was high, the capacity factor of REpower's 5 MW offshore wind turbine was 56.49%, 50.92% and 50.08%, respectively.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.35
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• pp.95-102
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• 2015

Two extreme wind speed prediction models, the EWM(Extreme wind speed model) in IEC61400-1 and the Gumbel method were compared in this study. The two models were used to predict extreme wind speeds of six different sites in Korea and the results were compared with long term wind data. The NCAR reanalysis data were used for inputs to two models. Various periods of input wind data were tried from 1 year to 50 years and the results were compared with the 50 year maximum wind speed of NCAR wind data. It was found that the EWM model underpredicted the extreme wind speed more than 5 % for two sites. Predictions from Gumbel method overpredicted the extreme wind speed or underpredicted it less than 5 % for all cases when the period of the input data is longer than 10 years. The period of the input wind data less than 3 years resulted in large prediction errors for Gumbel method. Predictions from the EWM model were not, however, much affected by the period of the input wind data.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.427-440
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• 2008

Estimates of wind-induced wind effects on tall buildings are based largely on 1980s technology. Such estimates can vary significantly depending upon the wind engineering laboratory producing them. We describe an efficient database-assisted design (DAD) procedure allowing the realistic estimation of wind-induced internal forces with any mean recurrence interval in any individual member. The procedure makes use of (a) time series of directional aerodynamic pressures recorded simultaneously at typically hundreds of ports on the building surface, (b) directional wind climatological data, (c) micrometeorological modeling of ratios between wind speeds in open exposure and mean wind speeds at the top of the building, (d) a physically and probabilistically realistic aerodynamic/climatological interfacing model, and (e) modern computational resources for calculating internal forces and demand-to-capacity ratios for each member being designed. The procedure is applicable to tall buildings not susceptible to aeroelastic effects, and with sufficiently large dimensions to allow placement of the requisite pressure measurement tubes. The paper then addresses the issue of accounting explicitly for uncertainties in the factors that determine wind effects. Unlike for routine structures, for which simplifications inherent in standard provisions are acceptable, for tall buildings these uncertainties need to be considered with care, since over-simplified reliability estimates could defeat the purpose of ad-hoc wind tunnel tests.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.489-503
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• 2015

This paper surveys and complements contributions by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to techniques ensuring that the wind tunnel procedure for the design of high-rise structures is based on sound methods and allows unambiguous inter-laboratory comparisons. Developments that enabled substantial advances in these techniques include: Instrumentation for simultaneously measuring pressures at multiple taps; time-domain analysis methods for estimating directional dynamic effects; creation of large simulated extreme directional wind speed data sets; non-parametric methods for estimating mean recurrence intervals (MRIs) of Demand-to-Capacity Indexes (DCIs); and member sizing based on peak DCIs with specified MRIs. To implement these advances changes are needed in the traditional division of tasks between wind and structural engineers. Wind engineers should provide large sets of directional wind speeds, pressure coefficient time series, and estimates of uncertainties in wind speeds and pressure coefficients. Structural engineers should perform the dynamic analyses, estimates of MRIs of wind effects, sensitivity studies, and iterative sizing of structural members. The procedure is transparent, eliminates guesswork inherent in frequency domain methods and due to the lack of pressure measurements, and enables structural engineers to be in full control of the structural design for wind.