Effect of tornado near-ground winds on aerodynamic characteristics of the high-speed railway viaduct

Abstract

The tornado is in direct contact with the underlying surface, which causes damage and indicates the vortex structure close to the ground. Accordingly, the maximum wind velocity generally could occur near the ground, potentially exposing the infrastructure to higher wind loads. However, one of the biggest challenges facing tornado research is characterizing the wind structure very near the surface due to the limitation of the data by using Doppler weather Radar. Considering the advantage of the high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models, this study aims to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of a high-speed railway viaduct under tornado near-surface winds. More specifically, in light of limited full-scale data to arrive at a consensus on quantifying key parameters characterizing the tornado flow and near-surface winds, firstly. Secondly, tornado radar-measured data and a theoretical analysis model were utilized to validate the accuracy of the numerical method adopted in this study. Thirdly, the wind pressure distribution on the bridge is validated using the wind tunnel experimental data in Central South University(CSU), and the comparison between the simulational bridge and the measured data under crosswind was satisfactory. Finally, a comprehensive modeling strategy comprehensively investigates the aerodynamic characteristics of a high-speed railway viaduct under a tornado near-surface wind.