Abstract
Flow around a vehicle running through a tornado was investigated experimentally. A tornado simulator was developed to generate a tornado-like swirl flow. PIV study confirmed that the simulator generates two-celled vortices which are observed in the natural tornadoes. A moving test rig was developed to run a 1/40 scaled train-shaped model vehicle under the tornado simulator. The car contained pressure sensors, a data logger with an AD converter to measure unsteady surface pressures during its run through the swirling flow. Aerodynamic forces acting on the vehicle were estimated from the pressure data. The results show that the aerodynamic forces change its magnitude and direction depending on the position of the car in the swirling flow. The asymmetry of the forces about the vortex centre suggests the vehicle itself may deform the flow field.
Highlights
The tornado is a violent meteorological phenomenon
The results show that the aerodynamic forces change its magnitude and direction depending on the position of the car in the swirling flow
Hann et al have developed a tornado simulator. It generates tornado-like vortices to quantify aerodynamic forces on civil engineering structures [3]
Summary
The tornado is a violent meteorological phenomenon The tornado has been studied by means of field observation, analytical approach and computational simulation in terms of meteorology and civil engineering. Meteorologists have tried to clarify the structure of the tornado and its mechanism, while civil engineers have managed to reduce the damage of the infrastructure. Hann et al have developed a tornado simulator It generates tornado-like vortices to quantify aerodynamic forces on civil engineering structures [3]. The crosswind stability of the ground vehicles has been vigorously studied in the past. Those works mainly concern steady/unsteady winds coming from one direction. We describe our experimental approach by use of a tornado simulator based on Hann’s study
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