• Wind and Structures
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.317-329
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• 2018

Wake characteristics of the flow over a finite square prism at different incidence angles were experimentally investigated using an open-loop wind tunnel. A finite square prism with a width D = 15 mm and a height H = 7D was vertically mounted on a horizontal flat plate. The Reynolds number was varied from $6.5{\times}10^3$ to $28.5{\times}10^3$ and the incidence angle ${\alpha}$ was changed from $0^{\circ}$ to $45^{\circ}$. The ratio of boundary layer thickness to the prism height was about ${\delta}/H=7%$. The time-averaged velocity, turbulence intensity and the vortex shedding frequency were obtained through a single-component hotwire probe. Power spectrum of the streamwise velocity fluctuations revealed that the tip and base vortices shed at the same frequency as that ofspanwise vortices. Furthermore, the results showed that the critical incidence angle corresponding to the maximum Strouhal number and minimum wake width occurs at ${\alpha}_{cr}=15^{\circ}$ which is equal to that reported for an infinite prism. There is a reduction in the size of the wake region along the height of the prism when moving away from the ground plane towards the free end.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.255-267
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• 2020

A systematic set of low-speed wind tunnel experiments was performed at Re = 6.5×10⁴ and 1.1×10⁵ to study the mean wind loading experienced by surface-mounted finite-height square prisms for different aspect ratios, incidence angles, and boundary layer thicknesses. The aspect ratio of the prism was varied from AR = 1 to 11 in small increments and the incidence angle was changed from α = 0° to 45° in increments of 1°. Two different boundary layer thicknesses were used: a thin boundary layer with δ/D = 0.8 and a thick boundary layer with δ/D = 2.0-2.2. The mean drag and lift coefficients were strong functions of AR, α, and δ/D, while the Strouhal number was mostly influenced by α. The critical incidence angle, at which the prism experiences minimum drag, maximum lift, and highest vortex shedding frequency, increased with AR, converged to a value of α_c = 18° ± 2° once AR was sufficiently high, and was relatively insensitive to changes in δ/D. A local maximum value of mean drag coefficient was identified for higher-AR prisms at low α. The overall behaviour of the force coefficients and Strouhal number with AR suggests the possibility of three flow regimes.