Reliability-informed design of structures subject to wind

We developed a software tool that computes characteristic loads for flexible structures subjected to wind based on fluid-structure interaction simulations
Project overview

For the design of large flexible structures subjected to wind loads, it is necessary to account for dynamic effects. This might necessitate computational demanding simulations, including fluid-structure interaction simulations. The intensive computation as well as the fact that these structures are often outside of the normal scope of code-based design, make it necessary to understand the design requirements in terms of reliability.

Due to the computational cost of the simulations, it is often infeasible to perform a full reliability analysis. The computational budget usually only allows for a single simulation corresponding to an extreme wind load scenario. A rational simplified approach is required that takes full advantage of results from computations and accounts for the statistical uncertainty due to limited simulation periods.

Time series of the mast moment from characteristic (50 year) wind by Fluid-Structure-Interaction simulation
Time series of the mast moment from characteristic (50 year) wind by Fluid-Structure-Interaction simulation
Eracons deliverables

We developed a software tool that computes the characteristic load effects based on time-domain simulation results performed for an extreme wind load scenario. The computed characteristic loads can be further used in classic code-based design procedures. The employed procedure is based on extreme value analysis and is optimized for limited time series data cases. Furthermore, we provided additional support on decisions related to reliability based design of flexible structures subjected to wind loads.

Year
2013-2015
Client
SL-Rasch

Required expertise
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