• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.309-314
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• 2014

The structural layout of mechanical and civil structures is commonly obtained using conventional methods. For example, the shape of structures such as electric transmission towers and offshore substructures can be generated systematically. However, with rapid advancements in computer graphic technology, advanced structural analyses and optimum design technologies have been implemented. In this study, the structural shape of a jacket substructure for an offshore wind turbine is investigated using a topology optimization technique. The structure is subjected to multiple loads that are intended to simulate the loading conditions during actual operation. The optimization objective function is defined as one that ensures compliance of the structure under the given boundary conditions. Optimization is carried out with constraints on the natural frequency in addition to the volume constraint. The result of a first step model provides quick insights into the optimum layout for the second step structure. Subsequently, a 3D model in the form of the frustum of a quadrilateral pyramid is developed through topology optimization.

• 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.