• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.13 no.5
• /
• pp.413-431
• /
• 2010

The focus of this article is on the assessment of vertical wind vector components and their aerodynamic impact on lattice framework, specifically two distinct sections of a guyed transmission tower. Thunderstorm winds, notably very localized events such as convective downdrafts (including downbursts) and tornadoes, result in a different load on a tower's structural system in terms of magnitude and spatial distribution when compared to horizontal synoptic winds. Findings of previous model-scale experiments are outlined and their results considered for the development of a testing rig that allows for rotation about multiple body axes through a series of wind tunnel tests. Experimental results for the wind loads on two unique experimental models are presented and the difference in behaviour discussed. For a model cross arm with a solidity ratio of approximately 30%, the drag load was increased by 14% when at a pitch angle of $20^{\circ}$. Although the effects of rotation about the vertical body axis, or the traditional 'angle of attack', are recognized by design codes as being significant, provisions for vertical winds are absent from each set of wind loading specifications examined. The inclusion of a factor to relate winds with a vertical component to the horizontal speed is evaluated as a vertical wind factor applicable to load calculations. Member complexity and asymmetric geometry often complicate the use of lattice wind loading provisions, which is a challenge that extends to future studies and codification. Nevertheless, the present work is intended to establish a basis for such studies.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.215-230
• /
• 2022

Majority of transmission line system failures at many locations worldwide have been caused by severe localized wind events in the form of tornadoes and downbursts. This study evaluates the structural response of two different transmission line systems under equivalent F2 tornadoes obtained from real incidents. Two multi-span self-supported transmission line systems are considered in the study. Nonlinear three-dimensional finite element models are developed for both systems. The finite element models simulate six spans and five towers. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to develop the tornado wind fields. Using a proper scaling method for geometry and velocity, full-scale tornado flow fields for the Stockton, KS, 2005 and Goshen County WY, 2009 are developed and considered together with a previously developed tornado wind field. The tornado wind profiles are obtained in terms of tangential, radial, and axial velocities. The simulated tornadoes are then normalized to the maximum velocity value for F2 tornadoes in order to compare the effect of different tornadoes having an equal magnitude. The tornado wind fields are incorporated into a three-dimensional finite element model. By varying the location of the tornado relative to the transmission line systems, base shears of the tower of interest and peak internal forces in the tower members are evaluated. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the variation of the structural behaviour of the studied transmission lines associated with the location of the tornado relative to the tower of interest. The tornado-induced forces in both lines due to the three different normalized tornadoes are compared with corresponding values evaluated using the simplified load case method recently incorporated in the ASCE-74 (2020) guidelines, which was previously developed based on the research conducted at Western University.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.37 no.6
• /
• pp.413-423
• /
• 2023

Wind turbines are usually steel hollow structures that can be vulnerable to dramatic failures due to high-intensity wind (HIW) events, which are classified as a category of localized windstorms that includes tornadoes and downbursts. Analyzing Wind Turbines (WT) under tornadoes is a challenging-to-achieve task because tornadoes are much more complicated wind fields compared with the synoptic boundary layer wind fields, considering that the tornado's 3-D velocity components vary largely in space. As a result, the supporting tower of the wind turbine and the blades will experience different velocities depending on the location of the event. Wind farms also extend over a large area so that the probability of a localized windstorm event impacting one or more towers is relatively high. Therefore, the built-in-house numerical code "HIW-WT" has been developed to predict the straining actions on the blades considering the variability of the tornado's location and the blades' pitch angle. The developed HIWWT numerical model incorporates different wind fields that were generated from developed CFD models. The developed numerical model was applied on an actual wind turbine under three different tornadoes that have different tornadic structure. It is found that F2 tornado wind fields present significant hazard for the wind turbine blades and have to be taken into account if the hazardous impact of this type of unexpected load is to be avoided.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.129-146
• /
• 2024

Aiming at the problem of non-stationary wind field simulation of downbursts, a non-stationary down-burst generation system was designed by adding a nozzle and program control valve to the inlet of the original wall jet model. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method was used to simulate the downburst. Firstly, the two-dimensional (2D) model was used to study the outflow situation, and the database of working conditions was formed. Then the combined superposition of working conditions was carried out to simulate the full-scale measured downburst. The three-dimensional (3D) large eddy simulation (LES) was used for further verification based on this superposition condition. Finally, the wind tunnel test is used to further verify. The results show that after the valve is opened, the wind ve-locity at low altitude increases rapidly, then stays stable, and the wind velocity at each point fluctuates. The velocity of the 2D model matches the wind velocity trend of the measured downburst well. The 3D model matches the measured downburst flow in terms of wind velocity and pulsation characteris-tics. The time-varying mean wind velocity of the wind tunnel test is in better agreement with the meas-ured time-varying mean wind velocity of the downburst. The power spectrum of fluctuating wind ve-locity at different vertical heights for the test condition also agrees well with the von Karman spectrum, and conforms to the "-5/3" law. The vertical profile of the maximum time-varying average wind veloci-ty obtained from the test shows the basic characteristics of the typical wind profile of the downburst. The effectiveness of the downburst generation system is verified.