• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.469-488
• /
• 2015

A full-scale instrumented low-rise building with gable roof was built at a coastal site with a high incidence of tropical cyclones for monitoring of wind effects on the building during windstorms. This paper presents the field measurements of the wind velocity field around and the wind-induced pressures on the low-rise building during the passage of severe tropical storm Soudelor. Near-ground wind characteristics such as wind speed, wind direction, turbulence intensity, gust factor, turbulence integral length scale and wind velocity spectra were investigated. The wind-induced pressures on the roof of the building were analyzed and discussed. The results revealed that the eave and ridge edges on the roof were subjected to the most severe suction pressures under quartering winds. These suction pressures showed obvious non-Gaussian behavior. The measured results were compared with the provisions of ASCE 7-10 to assess the suitability of the code of practice for the wind-resistant design of low-rise buildings under tropical cyclones. The field study aims to provide useful information that can enhance our understanding of the extreme wind effects on low-rise buildings in an effort to reduce tropical cyclone wind damages to residential buildings.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.253-283
• /
• 2011

This paper presents the field measurement results of wind effects on a super-tall building (CITIC Plaza, 391 m high) located in Guangzhou. The field data such as wind speed, wind direction and acceleration responses were simultaneously and continuously recorded from the tall building by a wind and vibration monitoring system during two typhoons. The typhoon-generated wind characteristics including turbulence intensity, gust factor, peak factor, turbulence integral length scale and power spectral density of fluctuating wind speed were presented and discussed. The dynamic characteristics of the tall building were determined based on the field measurements and compared with those calculated from a 3D finite element model of the building. The measured natural frequencies of the two fundamental sway modes of the building were found to be larger than those calculated. The damping ratios of the building were evaluated by the random decrement technique, which demonstrated amplitude-dependent characteristics. The field measured acceleration responses were compared with wind tunnel test results, which were found to be consistent with the model test data. Finally, the serviceability performance of the super-tall building was assessed based on the field measurement results.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.557-580
• /
• 2010

A new inflow turbulence generation method and a combined dynamic SGS model recently developed by the authors were applied to evaluate the wind effects on 508 m high Taipei 101 Tower. Unlike the majority of the past studies on large eddy simulation (LES) of wind effects on tall buildings, the present numerical simulations were conducted for the full-scale tall building with Reynolds number greater than $10^8$. The inflow turbulent flow field was generated based on the new method called discretizing and synthesizing of random flow generation technique (DSRFG) with a prominent feature that the generated wind velocity fluctuations satisfy any target spectrum and target profiles of turbulence intensity and turbulence integral length scale. The new dynamic SGS model takes both advantages of one-equation SGS model and a dynamic production term without test-filtering operation, which is particular suitable to relative coarse grid situations and high Reynolds number flows. The results of comparative investigations with and without generation of inflow turbulence show that: (1) proper simulation of an inflow turbulent field is essential in accurate evaluation of dynamic wind loads on a tall building and the prescribed inflow turbulence characteristics can be adequately imposed on the inflow boundary by the DSRFG method; (2) the DSRFG can generate a large number of random vortex-like patterns in oncoming flow, leading to good agreements of both mean and dynamic forces with wind tunnel test results; (3) The dynamic mechanism of the adopted SGS model behaves adequately in the present LES and its integration with the DSRFG technique can provide satisfactory predictions of the wind effects on the super-tall building.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.7
• /
• pp.2367-2375
• /
• 2022

In this work, we propose a new mechanistic model for the treatment of helium behaviour at the grain boundaries in oxide nuclear fuel. The model provides a rate-theory description of helium inter-granular behaviour, considering diffusion towards grain edges, trapping in lenticular bubbles, and thermal resolution. It is paired with a rate-theory description of helium intra-granular behaviour that includes diffusion towards grain boundaries, trapping in spherical bubbles, and thermal re-solution. The proposed model has been implemented in the meso-scale software designed for coupling with fuel performance codes SCIANTIX. It is validated against thermal desorption experiments performed on doped UO₂ samples annealed at different temperatures. The overall agreement of the new model with the experimental data is improved, both in terms of integral helium release and of the helium release rate. By considering the contribution of helium at the grain boundaries in the new model, it is possible to represent the kinetics of helium release rate at high temperature. Given the uncertainties involved in the initial conditions for the inter-granular part of the model and the uncertainties associated to some model parameters for which limited lower-length scale information is available, such as the helium diffusivity at the grain boundaries, the results are complemented by a dedicated uncertainty analysis. This assessment demonstrates that the initial conditions, chosen in a reasonable range, have limited impact on the results, and confirms that it is possible to achieve satisfying results using sound values for the uncertain physical parameters.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.10 no.6
• /
• pp.511-532
• /
• 2007

The present study aims to generate turbulent inflow data to more accurately represent the turbulent flow around a square cylinder when the inflow turbulence level is significant. The modified random flow generation (RFG) technique in conjunction with a previously developed LES code is successfully adopted into a finite element based fluid flow solver to generate the required inflow turbulence boundary conditions for the three-dimensional (3-D) LES computations of transitional turbulent flow around a square cylinder at Reynolds number of 22,000. The near wall region is modelled without using wall approximate conditions and a wall damping coefficient is introduced into the calculation of sub-grid length scale in the boundary layer of the cylinder wall. The numerical results obtained from simulations are compared with each other and with the experimental data for different inflow turbulence boundary conditions in order to discuss the issues such as the synthetic inflow turbulence effects on the 3-D transitional flow behaviour in the near wake and the free shear layer, the basic mechanism by which stream turbulence interacts with the mean flow over the cylinder body and the prediction of integral flow parameters. The comparison among the LES results with and without inflow turbulence and the experimental data emphasizes that the turbulent inflow data generated by the present RFG technique for the LES computation can be a viable approach in accurately predicting the effects of inflow turbulence on the near wake turbulent flow characteristics around a bluff body.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.12 no.6
• /
• pp.553-574
• /
• 2009

This paper presents statistical analysis results of wind speed and atmospheric turbulence data measured from more than 30 anemometers installed at 15 different height levels on 325 m high Beijing Meteorological Tower and is primarily intended to provide useful information on boundary layer wind characteristics for wind-resistant design of tall buildings and high-rise structures. Profiles of mean wind speed are presented based on the field measurements and are compared with empirical models' predictions. Relevant parameters of atmospheric boundary layer at urban terrain are determined from the measured wind speed profiles. Furthermore, wind velocity data in longitudinal, lateral and vertical directions, which were recorded from an ultrasonic anemometer during windstorms, are analyzed and discussed. Atmospheric turbulence information such as turbulence intensity, gust factor, turbulence integral length scale and power spectral densities of the three-dimensional fluctuating wind velocity are presented and used to evaluate the adequacy of existing theoretical and empirical models. The objective of this study is to investigate the profiles of mean wind speed and atmospheric turbulence characteristics over a typical urban area.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.1347-1357
• /
• 2005

Effects of combustor-level high free-stream turbulence on the blade-surface heat/mass transfer have been investigated in the three-dimensional flow region near the endwall within a high-turning turbine rotor cascade passage. Free-stream turbulence intensity and integral length scale in the high turbulence case are 14.7 percents and 80 mm, respectively. The result shows that there is no considerable discrepancy in the blade heat/mass transfer near the endwall between the low and high turbulence cases. As departing from the endwall, however, the deviation between the two cases becomes larger, particularly in the region where flow separation and re-attachment occur. Under the high turbulence, flow disturbances such as boundary-layer separation and re-attachment seem to be suppressed, which makes the blade heat/mass transfer more uniform. Moreover, there are some evidences that endwall vortices tend to be weakened under the high turbulence.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.673-691
• /
• 2018

The main goal of this research is to examine the in-plane and out-of-plane forced vibration of a curved nanocomposite microbeam. The in-plane and out-of-plane displacements of the structure are considered based on the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT). The curved microbeam is reinforced by functionally graded carbon nanotubes (FG-CNTs) and thus the extended rule of mixture is employed to estimate the effective material properties of the structure. Also, the small scale effect is captured using the strain gradient theory. The structure is rested on a nonlinear orthotropic viscoelastic foundation and is subjected to concentrated transverse harmonic external force, thermal and magnetic loads. The derivation of the governing equations is performed using energy method and Hamilton's principle. Differential quadrature (DQ) method along with integral quadrature (IQ) and Newmark methods are employed to solve the problem. The effect of various parameters such as volume fraction and distribution type of CNTs, boundary conditions, elastic foundation, temperature changes, material length scale parameters, magnetic field, central angle and width to thickness ratio are studied on the frequency and force responses of the structure. The results indicate that the highest frequency and lowest vibration amplitude belongs to FGX distribution type while the inverse condition is observed for FGO distribution type. In addition, the hardening-type response of the structure with FGX distribution type is more intense with respect to the other distribution types.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.339-352
• /
• 2014

This paper discusses the appropriate duration for basic gust wind speeds in wind loading codes and standards, and in wind engineering generally. Although various proposed definitions are discussed, the 'moving average' gust duration has been widely accepted internationally. The commonly-specified gust duration of 3-seconds, however, is shown to have a significant effect on the high-frequency end of the spectrum of turbulence, and may not be ideally suited for wind engineering purposes. The effective gust durations measured by commonly-used anemometer types are discussed; these are typically considerably shorter than the 'standard' duration of 3 seconds. Using stationary random process theory, the paper gives expected peak factors, $g_u$, as a function of the non-dimensional parameter ($T/{\tau}$), where T is the sample, or reference, time, and ${\tau}$ is the gust duration, and a non-dimensional mean wind speed, $\bar{U}.T/L_u$, where $\bar{U}$ is a mean wind speed, and $L_u$ is the integral length scale of turbulence. The commonly-used Durst relationship, relating gusts of various durations, is shown to correspond to a particular value of turbulence intensity $I_u$, of 16.5%, and is therefore applicable to particular terrain and height situations, and hence should not be applied universally. The effective frontal areas associated with peak gusts of various durations are discussed; this indicates that a gust of 3 seconds has an equivalent frontal area equal to that of a tall building. Finally a generalized gust response factor format, accounting for fluctuating and resonant along-wind loading of structures, applicable to any code is presented.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.20 no.6
• /
• pp.763-791
• /
• 2015

"Wind and Ports" is a European project that has been carried out since 2009 to handle wind forecast in port areas through an integrated system made up of an extensive in-situ wind monitoring network, the numerical simulation of wind fields, the statistical analysis of wind climate, and algorithms for medium-term (1-3 days) and short term (0.5-2 hours) wind forecasting. The in-situ wind monitoring network, currently made up of 22 ultrasonic anemometers, provides a unique opportunity for detecting high resolution thunderstorm records and studying their dominant characteristics relevant to wind engineering with special concern for wind actions on structures. In such a framework, the wind velocity of thunderstorms is firstly decomposed into the sum of a slowly-varying mean part plus a residual fluctuation dealt with as a non-stationary random process. The fluctuation, in turn, is expressed as the product of its slowly-varying standard deviation by a reduced turbulence component dealt with as a rapidly-varying stationary Gaussian random process with zero mean and unit standard deviation. The extraction of the mean part of the wind velocity is carried out through a moving average filter, and the effect of the moving average period on the statistical properties of the decomposed signals is evaluated. Among other aspects, special attention is given to the thunderstorm duration, the turbulence intensity, the power spectral density and the integral length scale. Some noteworthy wind velocity ratios that play a crucial role in the thunderstorm loading and response of structures are also analyzed.