• Wind and Structures
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.179-189
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• 2023

Multiple studies conducted in the past evaluated the conductor response under one tornado wind field, while the performance of transmission lines under different tornado wind fields still remains unknown. Thus, the objective of this paper is to estimate the variation in the conductor's critical longitudinal and transverse reactions under different tornado wind fields, as well as providing the corresponding critical tornado configurations. The considered full-scale tornadoes are the Spencer, South Dakota, 1998, the Stockton, Kansas, 2005 and the Goshen County, Wyoming, 2009. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were previously conducted to develop these wind fields. All tornadoes have been rescaled to have a common velocity matching the upper limit of the F2 Fujita scale. Eight conductor systems, each including six spans, are considered in this paper. For each conductor, parametric studies are conducted by varying the location of the three tornado wind fields relative to the tower of interest, therefore the peak reactions associated with each tornado are determined. A semi-analytical closed-form solution, previously developed and validated, is used to calculate the reactions. The study conducted in this paper can be divided into two parts: In the first part, a parametric study considering a wide range of tornado locations is conducted. In the second part, the parametric study focuses on the tornado location leading to the critical tangential velocity on the tower. Based on this extensive parametric study, a critical tornado defined as the Design Tornado and its critical locations, tornado distance R = 125 m, tornado angle 𝜃 = 15° and 30°, are recommended for design purposes.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.459-472
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• 2020

This study focused on the non-synoptic, tornado-like wind-induced effects on flexible horizontal structures that are extremely sensitive to winds. More specifically, the nonuniform, intensive vertical wind-velocity and transient natures of tornado events and their effects on the global behavior of a long-span bridge were investigated. In addition to the static part in the modeling of tornado-like wind-induced loads, the motion-induced effects were modeled using the semi-empirical model with a two-dimensional (2-D) indicial response function. Both nonlinear wind-induced static analysis and linear aeroelastic analysis in the time domain were conducted based on a 3-D finite-element model to investigate the bridge performance under the most unfavorable tornado pattern considering wind-structure interactions. The results from the present study highlighted the important effects due to abovementioned tornado natures (i.e., nonuniform, intensive vertical wind-velocity and transient features) on the long-span bridge, and hence may facilitate more appropriate wind design of flexible horizontal structures in the tornado-prone areas.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.369-382
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• 2018

Tornadoes are vertical swirling air formed because of the existence of layers of air with contrasting features of temperature, wind flow, moisture, and density. Tornadoes induce completely different wind forces than a straight-line (SL) wind. A suitably designed building for an SL wind may fail when exposed to a tornado-wind of the same wind speed. It is necessary to design buildings that are more resistant to tornadoes. In tornado-damaged areas, dome buildings seem to have less damage. As a dome structure is naturally wind resistant, domes have been used in back yards, as single family homes, as in-law quarters, man caves, game rooms, storm shelters, etc. However, little attention has been paid to the tornadic wind interactions with dome buildings. In this work, the tornado forces on a dome are computed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for tornadic and SL wind. Then, the interaction of a tornado with a dome and a prism building are compared and analyzed. This work describes the results of the tornado wind effect on dome and prism buildings. The conclusions drawn from this study are illustrated in visualizations. The tornado force coefficients on a dome building are larger than SL wind forces, about 120% more in x- and y-directions and 280% more in z-direction. The tornado maximum pressure coefficients are also higher than SL wind by 150%. The tornado force coefficients on the prism are larger than the forces on the dome, about 100% more in x- and y-directions, and about 180% more in z-direction. The tornado maximum pressure coefficients on prism also are greater those on dome by 150% more. Hence, a dome building has less tornadic load than a prism because of its aerodynamic shape.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.473-495
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• 2014

Localized wind events, in the form of tornadoes and downbursts, are the main cause of the large number of failure incidents of electrical transmission line structures worldwide. In this study, a numerical model has been developed to study the behaviour of self-supported transmission lines under various tornado events. The tornado wind fields used were based on a full three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics analysis that was developed in an earlier study. A three-dimensional finite element model of an existing self-supported transmission line was developed. The tornado velocity wind fields were then used to predict the forces applied to the modelled transmission line system. A comprehensive parametric study was performed in order to assess the effects of the location of the tornado relative to the transmission line under F2 and F4 tornado wind fields. The study was used to identify critical tornado configurations which can be used when designing transmission line systems. The results were used to assess the sensitivity of the members' axial forces to changes in the location of the tornado relative to the transmission line. The results were then used to explain the behaviour of the transmission line when subjected to the identified critical tornado configurations.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 2005

A tornado changes its wind speed and direction rapidly; therefore, it is difficult to study the effects of a tornado on buildings in a wind tunnel. The status of the tornado-structure interaction and various models of the tornado wind field found in literature are surveyed. Three dimensional computer modeling work using the turbulence model based on large eddy simulation is presented. The effect of a tornado on a cubic building is considered for this study. The Navier-Stokes (NS) equations are approximated by finite difference method, and solved by an semi-implicit procedure. The force coefficients are plotted in time to study the effect of the Rankine combined vortex model. The tornado is made to translate at a $0^{\circ}$ and $45^{\circ}$ angle, and the grid resolution is refined. Some flow visualizations are also reported to understand the flow behavior around the cube.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.209-220
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• 2003

A tornado changes its wind speed and direction rapidly; therefore, it is difficult to study the effects of a tornado on buildings in a wind tunnel. In this work, the status of the tornado-structure interaction is surveyed by numerical simulation. Various models of the tornado wind field found in literature are surveyed. Three-dimensional computer modeling work using the turbulence model based on large eddy simulation is presented. The effect of tornado on a cubic building is considered for this study. The Navier-Stokes (NS) equations are approximated by finite difference method, and solved by a semi-implicit procedure. The force coefficients are plotted in time to study the effect of the Rankine-Combined Vortex Model. Some flow visualizations are also reported to understand the flow behavior around the cube.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.115-128
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• 2018

Appropriate modeling of a tornado-like vortex is a prerequisite when studying the near-ground wind characteristics of a tornado and tornado-induced wind loads on structures. Both Ward- and ISU-type tornado simulators employ guide vanes to induce angular momentum to converge flow in order to generate tornado-like vortices. But in the Ward-type simulator, the guide vanes are mounted near the ground while in the ISU-type they are located at a high position to allow vertical circulation of flow that creates a rotating downdraft to generate a tornado-like vortex. In this study, numerical simulations were performed to reproduce tornado-like vortices using both Ward-type and ISU-type tornado simulators, from which the effects of rotating downdraft on the vortex characteristics were clarified. Particular attention was devoted to the wander of tornado-like vortices, and their dependences on swirl ratio and fetch length were investigated. The present study showed that the dynamic vortex structure depends significantly on the vortex-generating mechanism, although the time-averaged structure remains similar. This feature should be taken into consideration when tornado-like-vortex simulators are utilized to investigate tornado-induced wind forces on structures.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.389-404
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• 2015

In this study, residential building damage states observed from a post-tornado damage survey in Joplin after a 2011 EF 5 tornado were used to reconstruct the near-surface wind field. It was based on well-studied relationships between Degrees of Damage (DOD) of building and wind speeds in the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. A total of 4,166 one- or two-family residences (FR12) located in the study area were selected and their DODs were recorded. Then, the wind speeds were estimated with the EF scale. The peak wind speed profile estimated from damage of buildings was used to fit a translating analytical vortex model. Agreement between simulated peak wind speeds and observed damages confirms the feasibility of using post-tornado damage surveys for reconstructing the near-surface wind field. In addition to peak wind speeds, the model can create the time history of wind speed and direction at any given point, offering opportunity to better understand tornado parameters and wind field structures. Future work could extend the method to tornadoes of different characteristics and therefore improve model's generalizability.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.215-230
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• 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
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.437-446
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• 2021

As wind turbine rotors increase, the overall loads and dynamic response become an important issue. This problem is augmented by the exposure of wind turbines to severe atmospheric events with unconventional flows such as tornadoes, which need specific designs not included in standards and codes at present. An experimental study was conducted to analyze the loads induced by a tornado-like vortex (TLV) on horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT). A large-scale tornado simulation developed in The Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment (WindEEE) Dome at Western University in Canada, the so-called Mode B Tornado, was employed as the TLV flow acting on a rigid wind turbine model under two rotor operational conditions (idling and parked) for five radial distances. It was observed that the overall forces and moments depend on the location and orientation of the wind turbine system with respect to the tornado vortex centre, as TLV are three-dimensional flows with velocity gradients in the radial, vertical, and tangential direction. The mean bending moment at the tower base was the most important in terms of magnitude and variation in relation to the position of the HAWT with respect to the core radius of the tornado, and it was highly dependent on the rotor Tip Speed Ratio (TSR).