Prediction Framework of Vortex-Induced Vibration of Steel Tubes in Transmission Towers Based on Generalized Wake Oscillator Model

Abstract

Steel tube members with high slenderness ratios in transmission towers are susceptible to vortex-induced vibration (VIV), which can lead to fatigue damage once the vibration amplitude exceeds a certain threshold. This study proposes a VIV prediction framework for transmission tower steel tube members with semi-rigid constraints, based on the developed generalized wake oscillator model (GWOM). Firstly, the GWOM is established by coupling the nonlinear Van der Pol oscillator with the Euler–Bernoulli beam equation and incorporating semi-rigid boundary conditions. Meanwhile, the identification methods for the rotational stiffness and empirical parameters in the GWOM are presented, respectively. Second, a numerical solution scheme of the GWOM is derived based on the central difference method, and then a VIV prediction framework for steel tube members with arbitrary structural configuration is established. Comparisons with published experiments demonstrate that the proposed GWOM-based prediction framework has a promising accuracy in estimating the lock-in range and maximum VIV amplitude. The influence of semi-rigid constraints on the VIV of steel tube members is mainly manifested in the critical wind speed, but it has little effect on the amplitude branch. The proposed framework provides an efficient and cost–effective alternative to traditional experimental methods and computational fluid dynamics CFD simulations for predicting the VIV of steel tube members in transmission towers.