• Wind and Structures
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.219-237
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• 2009

This study examines the accuracy of large-eddy simulation (LES) to simulate the flow around a large irregular sloping complex terrain. Typically, real built up environments are surrounded by complex terrain geometries with many features. The complex terrain surrounding The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology campus was modelled and the flow over an uphill slope was simulated. The simulated results, including mean velocity profiles and turbulence intensities, were compared with the flow characteristics measured in a wind tunnel model test. Given the size of the domain and the corresponding constraints on the resolution of the simulation, the mean velocity components within the boundary layer flow, especially in the stream-wise direction were found to be reasonably well replicated by the LES. The turbulence intensity values were found to differ from the wind tunnel results in the building recirculation zones, mostly due to the constraints placed on spatial and temporal resolutions. Based on the validated mean velocity profile results, the flow-structure interactions around these buildings and the surrounding terrain were examined.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.145-169
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• 2017

The auxiliary structures of a high-rise building, such as balconies, ribs, and grids, are usually much smaller than the whole building; therefore, it is difficult to simulate them on a scaled model during wind tunnel tests, and they are often ignored. However, they may have notable effects on the local or overall wind loads of the building. In the present study, a series of wind pressure wind tunnel tests and high-frequency force balance (HFFB) wind tunnel tests were conducted on rigid models of an actual super high-rise building with vertical ribs protruding from its facades. The effects of the depth and spacing of vertical ribs on the mean values, fluctuating values and the most unfavorable values of the local wind pressure coefficients were investigated by analyzing the distribution of wind pressure coefficients on the facades and the variations of the wind pressure coefficients at the cross section at 2/3 of the building height versus wind direction angle. In addition, the effects of the depth and spacing of vertical ribs on the mean values, fluctuating values and power spectra of the overall aerodynamic force coefficients were studied by analyzing the aerodynamic base moment coefficients. The results show that vertical ribs significantly decrease the most unfavorable suction coefficients in the corner recession regions and edge regions of facades and increase the mean and fluctuating along-wind overall aerodynamic forces.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제21권5호
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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.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제12권5호
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• pp.413-424
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• 2009

A series of wind tunnel free-decay sectional model dynamic tests were conducted to examine the effects of torsional-to-vertical natural frequency ratio of 2DOF bridge dynamic systems on the aerodynamic and dynamic properties of bridge decks. The natural frequency ratios tested were around 2.2:1 and 1.2:1 respectively, with the fundamental vertical natural frequency of the system held constant for all the tests. Three 2.9 m long twin-deck bridge sectional models, with a zero, 16% (intermediate gap) and 35% (large gap) gap-to-width ratio, respectively, were tested to determine whether the effects of frequency ratio are dependent on bridge deck cross-section shapes. The results of wind tunnel tests suggest that for the model with a zero gap-width, a model to approximate a thin flat plate, the flutter derivatives, and consequently the aerodynamic forces, are relatively independent of the torsional-to-vertical frequency ratio for a relatively large range of reduced wind velocities, while for the models with an intermediate gap-width (around 16%) and a large gap-width (around 35%), some of the flutter derivatives, and therefore the aerodynamic forces, are evidently dependent on the frequency ratio for most of the tested reduced velocities. A comparison of the modal damping ratios also suggests that the torsional damping ratio is much more sensitive to the frequency ratio, especially for the two models with nonzero gap (16% and 35% gap-width). The test results clearly show that the effects of the frequency ratio on the flutter derivatives and the aerodynamic forces were dependent on the aerodynamic cross-section shape of the bridge deck.

• 한국정보통신학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국정보통신학회 2016년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.665-667
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• 2016

최근 화석연료의 고갈 및 환경문제로 인해 신재생 에너지에 대한 관심이 해마다 증가하고 있다. 신재생에너지는 깨끗하고 재사용이 가능한 에너지원으로 풍력과 태양광을 이용한 방법이 대표적이다. 이들 중 풍력 발전시스템은 자연의 바람을 이용하여 바람의 운동에너지를 전기에너지로 변환하는 방식이다. 기존에는 풍력 발전시스템을 구현하여 풍동실험을 하기 위해 실제 풍력과 유사한 환경을 구성하여 풍동실험을 하였다. 하지만, 이러한 풍동실험을 구성하기에는 비용이 커지는 문제가 발생한다. 본 논문에서는 이러한 풍동실험을 모터와 발전기를 이용한 테스트 베드를 구성하여 실험할 때 실제 풍동실험에서 발전기의 특성을 고려하여 모터를 제어함으로서 풍동실험과 유사한 결과를 얻고자한다.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제9권6호
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• pp.473-492
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• 2006

This paper presents numerical results of pedestrian-level wind environment around the base of a row of tall buildings by CFD. Four configurations of building arrangement are computed including a single square tall building. Computed results of pedestrian-level wind flow patterns and wind speeds are compared to previous wind tunnel measurement data to enable an assessment of CFD predictions. The CFD model uses the finite-volume method with RNG $k-{\varepsilon}$ model for turbulence closure. It is found that the numerical results can reproduce key features of pedestrian-level wind environment such as corner streams around corners of upwind building, sheltered zones behind buildings and channeled high-speed flow through a building gap. However, there are some differences between CFD results and wind tunnel data in the wind speed distribution and locations of highest wind speeds inside the corner streams. In locations of high ground-level wind speeds, CFD values match wind tunnel data within ${\pm}10%$.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.339-366
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• 2020

This study aims at modeling boundary layers (BLs) encountered in sparse and built environments (i.e. open, suburban and urban) at the subsonic Wind Tunnel (WT) at Ryerson University (RU). This WT has an insignificant turbulence intensity and requires a flow-conditioning system consisting of turbulence generating elements (i.e., spires, roughness blocks, barriers) to achieve proper turbulent characteristics. This system was developed and validated in the current study in three phases. In phase I, several Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations of the tunnel with generating elements were conducted to understand the effect of each element on the flow. This led to a preliminary design of the system, in which horizontal barriers (slats) are added to the spires to introduce turbulence at higher levels of the tunnel. This design was revisited in phase II, to specify slat dimensions leading to target BLs encountered by tall buildings. It was found that rougher BLs require deeper slats and, therefore, two-layer slats (one fixed and one movable) were implemented to provide the required range of slat depth to model most BLs. This system only involves slat movement to change the BL, which is very useful for automatic wind tunnel testing of tall buildings. The system was validated in phase III by conducting experimental wind tunnel testingof the system and comparing the resulting flow field with the target BL fields considering two length scales typically used for wind tunnel testing. A very good match was obtained for all wind field characteristics which confirms accuracy of the system.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.261-273
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• 2020

This paper deals with the design, wind tunnel testing, and performance analysis of small wind turbines targeting low-power applications. Three different small-size blade designs in terms of size, shape, and twisting angle are considered and tested. We conduct wind tunnel tests while measuring the angular speed of the rotating blades, the generated voltage, and the current under varying resistive loading and air flow conditions. An electromechanical model is also used to predict the measured voltage and power and verify their consistency and repeatability. The measurements are found in qualitative agreement with those reported in previously-published experimental works. We present a novel methodology to estimate the mechanical torque applied to the wind turbine without the deployment of a torque measuring device. This method can be used to determine the power coefficient at a given air speed, which constitutes an important performance indicator of wind turbines. The wind tunnel tests revealed the capability of the developed wind turbines to deliver more than 1225 mW when subject to an air flow with a speed of 7 m/s. The power coefficient is found ranging between 26% and 32%. This demonstrates the aerodynamic capability of the designed blades to extract power from the wind.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제5권2_3_4호
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• pp.337-346
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• 2002

Wind tunnel pressure measurements and numerical simulations based on the Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) are compared with full and model scale data in the flow area of impingement, separation and wake for $60^{\circ}$ and $90^{\circ}$ wind azimuth angles. The phase averaged fluctuating pressures simulated by the RSM model are combined with modelling of the small scale, random pressure field to produce the total, instantaneous pressures. Time averaged, rsm and peak pressure coefficients are consequently calculated. This numerical approach predicts slightly better the pressure field on the roof of the TTU (Texas Tech University) building when compared to the wind tunnel experimental results. However, it shows a deviation from both experimental data sets in the impingement and wake regions. The limitations of the RSM model in resolving the intermittent flow field associated with the corner vortex formation are discussed. Also, correlations between the largest roof suctions and the corner vortex "switching phenomena" are observed. It is inferred that the intermittency and short duration of this vortex switching might be related to both the wind tunnel and numerical simulation under-prediction of the peak roof suctions for oblique wind directions.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제5권2_3_4호
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• pp.165-176
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• 2002

Results of measurements of surface pressure and of velocity field made on a full-scale 6 m cube in natural wind are reported. Comparisons are made with results from boundary-layer wind-tunnel studies reported in the literature. Two flow angles are reported; flow normal to a face of the cube (the $0^{\circ}$ case) and flow at $45^{\circ}$. In most comparisons, the spread of wind-tunnel results of pressure measurements spans the full-scale measurements. The exception to this is for the $0^{\circ}$ case where the roof and side-wall pressures at full-scale are more negative, and as a result of this the leeward wall pressures are also lower. The cause of this difference is postulated to be a Reynolds Number scale effect that affects flow reattachment. Measurements of velocity in the vicinity of the cube have been used to define the mean reattachment point on the roof centre line for the $0^{\circ}$ case, and the ground level reattachment point behind the cube for both $0^{\circ}$ and $45^{\circ}$ flow. Comparisons are reported with another full-scale experiment and also with wind-tunnel experiments that indicate a possible dependency on turbulence levels in the approach flow.