• Wind and Structures
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.303-312
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• 2022

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).

• Wind and Structures
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.395-405
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• 2022

Tornado-induced damages to high-rise buildings and low-rise buildings are quite different in nature. Tornado losses to high-rise buildings are generally associated with building envelope failures while tornado-induced damages to low-rise buildings are usually associated with structural or large component failures such as complete collapses, or roofs being torn off. While studies of tornado-induced structural damages tend to focus mainly on low-rise residential buildings, transmission towers, or nuclear power plants, the current rapid expansion of city centers and development of large-scale building complexes increases the risk of tornadoes impacting tall buildings. It is, therefore, important to determine how tornado-induced load affects tall buildings compared with those based on synoptic boundary layer winds. The present study applies an experimentally simulated tornado wind field to the Commonwealth Advisory Aeronautical Research Council (CAARC) building and estimates and compares its pressure coefficient effects against the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) flow field. Simulations are performed at the Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment (WindEEE) Dome which is capable of generating both ABL and tornadic winds. A model of the CAARC building at a scale of 1:200 for both ABL and tornado flows was built and equipped with pressure taps. Mean and peak surface pressures for TLV flow are reported and compared with the ABL induced wind for different time-averaging. By following a compatible definition of the pressure coefficients for TLV and ABL fields, the resulting TLV pressure field presents a similar trend to the ABL case. Also, the results show that, for the high-rise building model, the mean and 3-sec peak pressures are larger for the ABL case compared to the TLV case. These results provide a way forward for the code implementation of tornado-induced pressures on high-rise buildings.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.447-462
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• 2021

High spatial and temporal surface pressure measurements were carried out in the state-of-the-art tornado simulator, the Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment (WindEEE) Dome, to explore the characteristics of stationary and translating tornado-like vortices (TLV) for a wide range of swirl ratios (S=0.21 to 1.03). The translational speed of the TLV and the surface roughness were varied to examine their effects on tornado ground pressures, wandering, and vortex structure. It was found that wandering is more pronounced at low swirl ratios and has a substantial effect on the peak pressure magnitude for stationary TLV (error percentage ≤ 35%). A new method for removing wandering was proposed which is applicable for a wide range of swirl ratios. For translating TLV, the near-surface part lagged behind the top of the vortex, resulting in a tilt of the tornado vertical axis at higher translating speeds. Also, a veering motion of the tornado base towards the left of the direction of the translation was observed. Wandering was less pronounced for higher translation speeds. Increasing the surface roughness caused an analogous effect as lowering the swirl ratio.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.295-307
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• 2024

The funnel-shaped vortex structure of tornadoes results in a spatiotemporally varying wind velocity (speed and direction) field. However, very limited full-scale tornado data along the height and radius positions are available to identify and reliably establish a description of complex vortex structure together with the resulting aerodynamic effects on the high-speed train (HST). In this study, the improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) for flow structures and aerodynamic pressures around an HST under tornado-like winds are conducted to provide high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results. To demonstrate the accuracy of the numerical method adopted in this study, both field observations and wind-tunnel data are utilized to respectively validate the simulated tornado flow fields and HST aerodynamics. Then, the flow structures and aerodynamic pressures (as well as aerodynamic forces and moments) around the HST at various locations within the tornado-like vortex are comprehensively compared to highlight the importance of considering the complex spatiotemporal wind features in the HST-tornado interactions.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.369-391
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• 2016

Electricity is transmitted by transmission lines from the source of production to the distribution system and then to the end users. Failure of a transmission line can lead to devastating economic losses and to negative social consequences resulting from the interruption of electricity. A comprehensive in-house numerical model that combines the data of computational fluid dynamic simulations of tornado wind fields with three dimensional nonlinear structural analysis modelling of the transmission lines (conductors and ground-wire) is used in the current study. Many codes of practice recommend neglecting the tornado forces acting on the conductors and ground-wires because of the complexity in predicting the conductors' response to such loads. As such, real transmission line systems are numerically simulated and then analyzed with and without the inclusion of the lines to assess the effect of tornado loads acting on conductors on the overall response of transmission towers. In addition, the behaviour of the conductors under the most critical tornado configuration is described. The sensitivity of the lines' behaviour to the magnitude of tornado loading, the level of initial sag, the insulator's length, and lines self-weight is investigated. Based on the current study results, a recommendation is made to consider conductors and ground-wires in the analysis and design of transmission towers under the effect of tornado wind loads.

• Atmosphere
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.47-58
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• 2016

On 10 July 2014, tornado outbreak occurred over Goyang province in Korea. This was the first supercell tornado ever reported or documented in Korea. The characteristics of the supercell tornado were investigated using an X-band polarimetric radar, surface meteorological observation, wind profiler, and operational numerical weather prediction (Regional Data Assimilation and Prediction System, RDAPS). The supercell tornado developed along a preexisting dryline that was contributed to surface wind shear. The radar analyses examined here show that the supercell tornado indicated a hook echo with mesocyclone. The decending reflectivity core as well was detected before tornadogenesis and prior to intensification of supercell. The supercell tornado exhibited characteristics similar to typical supercell tornado over the Great Plains of the United States, such as hook echo, bounded weak echo region, and slower movement speed relative to the mean wind. Compared to the typical supercell tornado over U.S., this tornado showed horizontal scale of the mesocyclone was relatively smaller and left-mover.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.451-469
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• 2010

The majority of weather-related failures of transmission line structures that have occurred in the past have been attributed to high intensity localized wind events, in the form of tornadoes and downbursts. A numerical scheme is developed in the current study to assess the performance of transmission lines under tornado wind load events. The tornado wind field is based on a model scale Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis that was conducted and validated in a previous study. Using field measurements and code specifications, the CFD model data is used to estimate the wind fields for F4 and F2 full scale tornadoes. The wind forces associated with these tornado fields are evaluated and later incorporated into a nonlinear finite element three-dimensional model for the transmission line system, which includes a simulation for the towers and the conductors. A comparison is carried between the forces in the members resulting from the tornadoes, and those obtained using the conventional design wind loads. The study reveals the importance of considering tornadoes when designing transmission line structures.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.291-302
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• 2008

Three-dimensional engineering simulations of momentum-driven tornado-like vortices are conducted to investigate the flow dynamics dependency on swirl ratio and the possible relation with real tornado Fujita scales. Numerical results are benchmarked against the laboratory experimental results of Baker (1981) for a fixed swirl ratio: S = 0.28. The simulations are then extended for higher swirl ratios up to S = 2 and the variation of the velocity and pressure flow fields are observed. The flow evolves from the formation of a laminar vortex at low swirl ratio to turbulent vortex breakdown, followed by the vortex touch down at higher swirls. The high swirl ratios results are further matched with full scale data from the Spencer, South Dakota F4 tornado of May 30, 1998 (Sarkar, et al. 2005) and approximate velocity and length scales are determined.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.199-213
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• 2022

The current study investigates the dynamic effects in the tornado-structure response of an aeroelastic self-supported lattice transmission tower model tested under laboratory simulated tornado-like vortices. The aeroelastic model is designed for a geometric scale of 1:65 and tested under scaled down tornadoes in the Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment (WindEEE) Research Institute. The simulated tornadoes have a similar length scale of 1:65 compared to the full-scale. An extensive experimental parametric study is conducted by offsetting the stationary tornado center with respect to the aeroelastic model. Such aeroelastic testing of a transmission tower under laboratory tornadoes is not reported in the literature. A multiaxial load cell is mounted underneath the base plate to measure the base shear forces and overturning moments applied to the model in three perpendicular directions. A three-axis accelerometer is mounted at the level of the second cross-arm to measure response accelerations to evaluate the natural frequencies through a free-vibration test. Radial, tangential, and axial velocity components of the tornado wind field are measured using cobra probes. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to assess the variation of the structural dynamic response associated with the location of the tornado relative to the lattice transmission tower. Three different layouts representing the change in the orientation of the tower model relative to the components of the tornado-induced loads are considered. The structural responses of the aeroelastic model in terms of base shear forces, overturning moments, and lateral accelerations are measured. The results are utilized to understand the dynamic response of self-supported transmission towers to the tornado-induced loads.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.369-381
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• 2015

Moore, Oklahoma was hit by an EF5 tornado on May 20, 2013. The tornado track slightly overlapped with two previous tornadoes that occurred on May 3, 1999 and May 8, 2003 respectively. A research team from Texas Tech University was deployed to investigate the performance of shelters based on observation of their post-storm conditions. Sixty-one shelter units were further documented by size, manufacturer, and date of installation if available. Then they were crossed referenced with the external databases to determine their compliance with design and construction standards by the International Code Council/National Storm Shelter Association and/or criteria from the Federal Emergency Management Agency publications. Wind intensity was estimated for each shelter location using the EF scale. Results showed a marked increase in the number of exterior underground shelters as well as the popularity of a new in-garage floor underground shelter design. All of the units provided protection for their occupants with no loss of life reported. However, one older shelter had a door failure due to neglect of maintenance. Recommendations were made to improve future performance of shelters.