Gust Factor Research Articles

Converging profile relationships for offshore wind speed and turbulence intensity

Abstract. This paper reduces uncertainty in the quantification of offshore wind speed and turbulence intensity. A range of industry standard relationships, including those from International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO), are compared with an extensive set of met mast data collected offshore northwestern Europe over recent decades. Analysis initially focused on over 1000 independent storm peak events identified within the 10 min mean wind speed data. Time series and coherent vertical profiles were subjected to detailed scrutiny and analysis, considering wind speeds at various averaging periods, turbulence intensity and gust factors. Most peak events were associated with neutral atmospheric conditions, so they were well represented by the ISO Frøya profile, with a shear close to the IEC power law exponent of α= 0.11. A new pragmatic approximation of atmospheric stability in terms of relative shear is outlined, bringing together key elements of the IEC and ISO standards. New empirical relationships to quantify offshore wind ambient turbulence intensity are described. A simple generalised form of gust factor relationship is adopted, with a coefficient that varies with averaging period. Distinct recommendations are made for estimating peak 10 min mean winds from peaks in 1 or 3 h mean winds. Finally, a simplified workflow for the estimation of extreme offshore winds is used to show how IEC and ISO relationships can be effectively combined.

Near-Ground wind field characteristics of tracking photovoltaic systems based on field measurements

The study conducts field measurements at a tracking photovoltaic power station in Zhongwei City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, investigating near-ground incoming wind characteristics, spatial coherence, and their impact on the flow field of the tracking photovoltaic system. Actual measurements indicate a low dispersion degree in the roughness index of this area, with an average roughness index of α = 0.1228, which is consistent with the characteristics of open land and desert areas. The incoming wind speed profile largely complies with European wind load specifications, with turbulence intensity measured at different heights exceeding other wind load specifications, primarily due to increased sand movement contributing to turbulence in desert areas. Additionally, this study proposes calculation formulas for measured turbulence intensity, integration scale, and gust factor, offering valuable insights into the incoming wind field characteristics in this region. Furthermore, the investigation into spatial coherence and decay parameters revealed the superior performance of the Krenk model in high frequency bands and over long distances. Lastly, the tracking photovoltaic array induces noticeable shading effects, altering flow field characteristics significantly, with a diminished impact on wind flow velocity as the tilt angle of the photovoltaic panel decreases. These studies serve as a valuable reference for gaining a deeper understanding of wind field characteristics, wind load calculation, and the optimal design of tracking photovoltaic systems.

Variations in gust factor with wind direction and height based on the measurements from a coastal tower during three landfalling typhoons

Using high-frequency onshore wind data from four different heights of a coastal tower, the variations in gust factor with turbulence intensity, height and wind speed were studied under typhoon conditions. The gust factor increases with increasing turbulence intensity and, most often, can be described by a linear relationship with the turbulence intensity. The gust factor decreases with height and is relatively small compared with those presented in the national codes and other studies. A value of 2.5 is acceptable for the peak factor, which is close to the recommended value of the national code in China. The gust factor increases with increasing wind speed and is also affected by the wind direction. The gust factor has a value to that of previously published results when the wind flows roughly perpendicular to the shoreline, and has a smaller value when the wind flows roughly parallel to the shoreline. The phenomenon is caused by the confinement of shoreline on the sea wave development. Sea waves tend to propagate normal to the shoreline because of the refraction effect. As a result, a shorter roughness length exists in the parallel direction to the shoreline. It can be further explained by the weakness in the momentum flux exchange between the air and sea based on the wave form drag theory when the wind flows parallel to the shoreline.

Investigating the Potential of Using Mixdown Altitudes to Forecast Peak Wind Gusts

Abstract Forecast models based on the gust factor, the ratio of peak gust to sustained wind speed, have shown promise in predicting peak wind gusts in recent years. These models assume that turbulent vertical transport forced by wind flowing over upstream terrain mixes high-momentum air aloft down to the surface. A recently constructed database of hourly peak gusts, together with approximately coincident, nearby upper-air wind observations, is used to identify mixdown altitudes, the altitudes from which peak gusts descend, during different weather scenarios at 16 locations across the United States. Median mixdown altitudes generally ranged from 50 to 450 m AGL with occasional exceptions, particularly for convective gusts and at mountainous locations where terrain effects are likely to amplify gusts. A mixdown model in which surface peak gusts are predicted by obtaining forecast upper-air winds within this altitude interval was developed and tested. Our results suggest that a mixdown model methodology for forecasting peak gusts may be feasible at locations and during weather conditions where terrain-forced turbulent mixing is the principal cause of wind gusts.

Non-stationary modeling and simulation of strong winds

Wind velocity is usually assumed to obey a stationary stochastic process in wind engineering, and this may cause significant bias in describing extremely severe strong wind such as typhoons and thunderstorms. To take into account the non-stationary characteristics of extreme wind, a novel evolutionary power spectral density (EPSD) model is proposed, and the spectral representation method (SRM) is introduced to simulate the whole process of strong winds. Firstly, the wavelet transform (WT) method is adopted to capture the three-dimensional time-varying properties of the low-frequency mean winds, and the associated turbulence features, including turbulent intensity, gust factor, probability density function, and power spectrum, are analyzed in depth. Secondly, the measured horizontal EPSD of strong winds are estimated. Thirdly, the performance of the proposed EPSD model is validated. Finally, the whole process of non-stationary strong winds are simulated and discussed. The results show that the proposed EPSD models are in good agreement with the measured EPSD, and the time-frequency features of the power spectrum of the simulated winds are well reproduced, which provides a powerful tool for large eddy simulation and wind engineering studies under non-stationary extreme wind climate.

Typhoon-induced failure analysis of electricity transmission tower-line system incorporating microtopography

Safety of electricity transmission tower-line systems is always at risk from various natural hazards, especially typhoons, which have the potential to cause significant damage and disruption. However, previous studies have predominantly focused on typhoons occurring in open-flat terrains, disregarding the impact of actual terrains. To address this research gap, this paper comprehensively examines the typhoon-induced responses of an electricity transmission tower-line system while considering the influence of microtopography. Specifically, a virtual wind tunnel is first established to simulate the typhoon within a specific microtopography. The wind characteristics of the typhoon considering the influence of microtopography are then studied in terms of the average wind speed, gust factor, and turbulence intensity, and compared to those at open-flat terrains. Finally, the influences of microtopography on the typhoon-induced responses and collapse of the electricity transmission tower-line system are investigated. The results demonstrate that the introduction of microtopography can obviously increase local wind speed and enhance fluctuation of wind, resulting in large responses and collapse risk of electricity transmission tower-line systems. This paper could provide a valuable reference for assessing the wind-resistant capacity of electricity transmission lines located in complex terrains, e.g., mountains and valleys.

Comparative Analysis of Framed-Tube & Braced-Tube System in Tall Buildings Using ETABS

Abstract: Since the rigid frame became popular in the first half of the 20th century, tall buildings with structural systems have evolved. The development of underlying frameworks for tall structures lays on reasonable realism, economy of material utilization, effortlessness and polish, and worry for constructability. We are now able to build buildings that are ever higher thanks to cutting-edge building materials, sophisticated computational software, and sturdy structural systems. The rationale behind the creation of structural systems for tall buildings is to achieve architectural expression, ensure safety and serviceability, and make rational and effective use of materials. The use of composite structures, which combine the advantages of various materials, has been the trend in structural systems for tall buildings. In both static and dynamic conditions, these high-rise structures ought to be able to withstand a variety of lateral loads, such as wind load and earthquake load. This study examines the responses of the Framed Tube, Braced Tube, structural systems to various parameters such as Story displacement, Story drift, Story shear, and time period. The analysis focuses on 60-story structures situated in Seismic Zone III with medium soil conditions. The static analysis of the structures is conducted using the linear static method, which involves wind load calculations using the force coefficient method. On the other hand, the dynamic analysis is performed using the response spectrum method, with wind load calculations carried out using the gust factor calculation method.

Analysis of the Near-Ground Wind Field Characteristics during Typhoon Soulik

In 2013, during Typhoon Soulik, wind data were collected at various heights above the ground (15, 27, 53, 67, and 82 m) on the 550 kV 52# pole transmission tower in Ningde City, Fujian Province. The wind speed profile, turbulence intensity, gust factor, crest factor, and power spectrum were analyzed using 10 min interval wind speed records. The results show the following: (1) the average wind velocity of Typhoon Soulik varies in accordance with both the power law and the logarithmic law, but the Deaves–Harris model exhibits significant discrepancies; (2) the turbulence intensity in u, v, and w orientations decreases with the average wind velocity at each height. Exponential fitting is conducted on the strength of turbulence and gust factor profiles in each direction based on the standards of different countries, resulting in the derivation of empirical expressions; (3) the integral scale components of turbulence in u, v, and w orientations exhibit a positive correlation with both average wind velocity and height. The turbulence integral scale ratios in the longitudinal, transverse, and vertical directions at heights of 15, 53, and 82 m are 1:0.68:0.11, 1:0.67:0.27, and 1:0.67:0.30, respectively; (4) the Von Karman empirical spectrum and the modified Kaimal cross-spectrum model closely match the observed wind power spectrum of Typhoon Soulik. The presented results contribute to furthering references for wind-resistant design of structures in typhoon-prone areas and prevention of typhoon-related disasters.

Wind tunnel measurement of pedestrian-level gust wind flow and comfort around irregular lift-up buildings within simplified urban arrays

The implementation of lift-up buildings has demonstrated their practicality in enhancing urban wind comfort in high-density cities. The pedestrian-level wind environment around a central lift-up building surrounded by low-rise buildings was measured using wind tunnel experiments. The time-averaged velocity field and turbulence statistics, including the turbulent kinetic energy, normal component of the Reynolds stresses, gust factor, and gust wind velocity field, were discussed. Based on the results, the pedestrian-level gust wind flow and comfort for two typical building shapes (Arc, V-shaped) were compared with Rectangular lift-up buildings under different wind directions (0∘, 90∘ and 180∘), the pedestrian-level wind environments (PLWEs) were assessed following two wind criteria for weak and windy wind conditions by wind speed thresholds and maximum allowed exceedance probabilities. The results showed that the erection of the high-rise lift-up building modified the pedestrian-level wind environment around the building groups, owing to the interaction between the downwash flow around the building and the surrounding building blocks. A region of high mean and gust wind velocity was observed at the lateral and rear side of the central lift-up building due to the lateral entrained wind and Venturi effect between elevated columns, indicating that lift-up buildings can enhance PLWEs even in the presence of surrounding buildings. The Arc-shaped lift-up building tends to generate a larger “Intolerable” area compared with V- and Rectangular-shaped buildings due to its curved surface. The wind impacts the convex portion of the building, leading to airflow divergence and facilitating downstream ventilation.

Vertical distribution characteristics of the typhoon gust factor based on a 356-m high meteorological gradient tower

The characteristics of typhoon gust factors (GF) are important for the design of high-rise buildings in coastal areas. Most research on GF are based on observational data near the ground. This has made it difficult to meet the increasing demand for high-rise building designs in recent years. Thus, improving the knowledge of the vertical distribution of GF inside the typhoon is necessary and helpful for the design of high-rises and the prevention of gust disasters. In this study, the data from a 365-m high meteorological tower were used to explore the vertical distribution features of the gust factor within the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) of typhoons in coastal region. The results indicate that: (1) The statistical probability distribution of GF during the typhoon exhibits a non-Gaussian distribution at all observational heights of the tower. While the generalized extreme value distribution (GEV) can well describe the properties of the probability distribution of GF at different heights. (2) The GF have a weak relationship with the average wind speed. However, GF have a strong relationship with turbulence intensity and increases linearly with the turbulence intensity. Notably, the results from the previous empirical model of the GF do not fully match the parameterised results during typhoons in this study. (3) In the typhoon boundary layer, the bulk wind shear plays a significant role in generating turbulent eddies with scales comparable to the observation height, especially at lower layer. Besides, the strong turbulent fluctuations at near-ground layers may be a result of the coupling of several elements. The turbulent momentum flux transported downward from the upper layers has a significant impact on the peak gust, and the downward transported energy may further enhance the turbulent motion in lower layers, which may lead to a higher gust factor near the surface.

Adding Gusts to a Mobile Wind Tunnel: Experimental Setup and Effect of Simulated Gusts on Horizontal Transport

Wind erosivity has an intermittent character due to complicated interactions between air streams, surface characteristics, and sediment particles. To experimentally investigate the effect of a sudden and local gust on sediment entrainment, a simple setup was installed in a mobile wind tunnel. One, three, and five consecutive gusts were applied and compared with standard test conditions with steady wind. The applied wind was characterized by total test duration (s), duration of gust (s), mean velocity, peak velocity (m s−1), gust factor, and transport capacity based on sediment-specific threshold velocity. The eroded material was collected by sediment containers. The results suggest that 1. the application of gusts inside the mobile wind tunnel setup is feasible but related to uncertainty concerning the applied wind conditions, and 2. the horizontal transport rate increased with the number of applied gusts. While the highest rates were measured during five gusts on sand, the relative effect of gusts was most accentuated in the comparison of one gust to no gust on loam. The findings highlight how temporally and spatially limited gust impact causes extreme particle entrainment. These particles may subsequently either start erosion or enter vertical dust transport.

Gust Factor Approach for Estimating Maximum Response and Control Force in High-Rise Base-Isolated Buildings with Active Structural Control

This paper devises a new method for estimating the maximum response and maximum control force for high-rise base-isolated buildings with active structural control (active base isolation) to simplify the conventional complex design procedure. While active base isolation has emerged as a prominent solution for achieving high control performance, its design process is inherently complex, particularly when applied to high-rise buildings where wind loads become prominent. To address this problem, we propose a streamlined method inspired by the gust factor methodology widely used in conventional passive wind-resistant designs. This method estimates the maximum response and maximum control force without the need for numerical simulations. We first construct an equivalent passive model of a multi-degree-of-freedom control system to theoretically compute the dynamics of the system. Based on the constructed equivalent passive model and then propose a method to calculate the mean displacement and mean control force using only the static equilibrium of this model. Furthermore, we extend the conventional gust factor approach to active base isolation to estimate the maximum displacement and maximum control force for active base isolation without the need for numerical simulations. We validate our methods through a series of numerical examples, incorporating key parameters such as feedback gain, aspect ratio of building, return period of wind force, and stiffness of isolation. Numerical verifications show that the mean response and mean control force are estimated by the static equilibrium of the proposed equivalent passive model. Moreover, the maximum response and maximum control force can be estimated by the proposed gust factors. Our methods can be applied for feedback control systems using a given feedback gain.

Two-year wind field measurements near the ground at a site of the Tibetan Plateau

A nearly two-year wind field measurement in the plateau has been conducted in the south of Tibet. High-frequency anemometric data of the distinctive plateau wind field was obtained. Combining the non-stationary model and test, wind samples are classified into three types of 10-min samples based on the level of stationarity. Analysis reveals the strong non-stationarity, turbulence intensity, gust factor, and integral length scale of the synoptic wind in the plateau, which differ from the ones at low altitudes. The stationary samples are recommended to represent the plateau synoptic wind for characterizing the fluctuating wind. At smaller time scales, high-frequency records capture some intense gust events. Based on the different influences of wind on the structures from the perspective of structural wind resistance, the plateau transient intense gust events are divided into thunderstorms and front, and short-rise-time gusts. Representative gust events are defined, sifted, and extracted. With the combination analysis of 10-min fluctuating wind characteristics and intense non-stationary gust events, the measurement data assist the structural wind-resistance design in the plateau.

The Gust Factor Models Involving Wind Speed and Temperature Profiles for Wind Gust Estimation

This study analyzed the deviation of the gust factor (GF) method in gust estimation and the differences in the vertical distribution of upper‐level wind speed and temperature when varying deviations occurred using observed data from 11 stations in central‐eastern China from January 2017 to December 2020. A unified upper‐level gust impact model was developed through multiple regression (GF‐L) and machine learning (GF‐M) methods based on data from these stations to improve gust estimation accuracy. The effectiveness of the GF, GF‐L, and GF‐M methods was compared using data from January 2021 to October 2022. Results showed that integrating the upper‐level gust impact model into the GF method reduced underestimation and improved accuracy, with the GF‐M method showing the most significant improvement. The GF‐L method reduced the root mean square error by 5.1% on average compared to the GF method, while the GF‐M method achieved a 9.2% reduction. The study confirmed the applicability of the unified upper‐level gust impact model across different stations, with the GF‐M method demonstrating better results.

Probabilistic Gust Factor Model of Typhoon Winds

Probabilistic Gust Factor Model of Typhoon Winds

Prediction and Early Warning of Extreme Winds for High-Speed Railway Bridge Construction Using Machine-Learning Methods

Measuring the impact of extreme winds is important in high-speed railway bridge construction to avoid the risk of engineering accidents. This study presents an early-warning framework for high-speed railway (HSR) bridge construction under extreme wind conditions, using a long-span continuous beam bridge constructed in a typhoon-prone area as a case study. Specifically, on-site wind environment measurements during a typhoon are utilized, and parameters such as fluctuating wind turbulence intensity, gust factor, turbulence integral scale, and power spectral density are employed to characterize the wind environment. Multi-step prediction of gust wind speed during the bridge construction is performed using the hybrid Back Propagation-Genetic Algorithm (BP-GA). Hierarchical warnings and control actions are proposed and implemented based on the prediction results. The analysis results of wind parameters revealed a discrepancy between the measured and specified typhoon turbulence intensities, with the windward turbulence intensity being lower than specified. The longitudinal average gust factor exceeded the transverse value. The prediction curve based on the BP-GA algorithm closely resembles the actual curve, meeting accuracy requirements. Notably, the one-step prediction provided the most accurate results. Based on the predicted wind speed trend for the upcoming half-hour, appropriate hierarchical warnings and control measures were conducted.

Identification of high-wind features within extratropical cyclones using a probabilistic random forest – Part 2: Climatology over Europe

Abstract. Strong winds associated with extratropical cyclones are one of the most dangerous natural hazards in Europe. These high winds are mostly associated with five mesoscale features: the warm (conveyor belt) jet (WJ); the cold (conveyor belt) jet (CJ); cold frontal convection (CFC); strong cold-sector (CS) winds; and, in some cases, the sting jet (SJ). The timing within the cyclone's life cycle, the location relative to the cyclone core and further characteristics differ between these features and, hence, likely also their associated forecast errors. In Part 1 of this study (Eisenstein et al., 2022a), we introduced the objective and flexible identification tool RAMEFI (RAndom-forest-based MEsoscale wind Feature Identification), which distinguishes between the WJ, CFC and CS as well as CJ and SJ combined. RAMEFI is based on a probabilistic random forest trained on station observations of 12 storm cases over Europe. Being independent of spatial distribution, RAMEFI can also be applied to gridded data. Here, we use RAMEFI to compile a climatology over 19 extended winter seasons (October–March 2000–2019) based on high-resolution regional reanalyses of the German Consortium for Small-scale Modelling (COSMO) model over Europe. This allows the first ever long-term objective statistical analysis of the mesoscale wind features, including their occurrence frequency, geographical distribution and characteristics. For western and central Europe, we demonstrate that the CS is prominent in most winter storms, while CFC is the least common cause of high winds, both in terms of frequency and affected area. However, probably due to convective momentum transport, CFC is on average the cause of the highest gusts after the CJ and has the highest gust factor. As expected, CFC high-wind areas show high levels of humidity and overcast conditions. In contrast, the CS is characterised by sunnier conditions interspersed by patchy cumulus clouds, leading to a broader cloud cover distribution than for other features. The WJ produces the weakest winds on average but affects a larger area than CJ. Central Europe is more strongly affected by WJ and CFC winds, while the CJ usually occurs farther north over the North and Baltic seas, northern Germany, Denmark and southern Scandinavia. System-relative composites show that the WJ and CFC tend to occur earlier in the cyclone life cycle than the CJ and CS. Consistently, the CS is the most common cause of high winds over eastern Europe, where cyclones tend to occlude, represented by a narrowing warm sector and weakening cold front. The WJ mostly occurs within the south-eastern quadrant of a cyclone bordered by the narrow CFC in the west. However, the location of CFC varies greatly between cases. The CS occurs in the south-western quadrant, while the CJ appears closer to the cyclone centre, sometimes stretching into the south-eastern quadrant. This objective climatology largely confirms previous, more subjective investigations but puts these into climatological context. It allows a more detailed analysis of feature properties and provides a solid foundation for model assessment and forecast evaluation in future studies.

Correlations among high-order statistics and low-occurrence wind speeds within a simplified urban canopy based on particle image velocimetry datasets

Predicting infrequent and extreme wind speeds in a built environment is essential for ensuring comfortable and safe pedestrian spaces. Recent studies have employed statistical methods that assume a distribution function for wind speeds at pedestrian levels. Fundamental studies on the relationship between canopy flow and statistics are required to further develop statistical models. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the characteristics of strong and weak wind events within a simplified urban canopy and to scrutinize the relationship between high-order moments and extreme wind events. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was employed to capture the velocities within a canopy consisting of cubes arranged in a staggered layout with a packing density of 25 %. The probability density functions (PDFs) of the velocity components classified by the mean flow patterns revealed that the PDF shapes were altered by the reverse and spanwise flows. In addition, strong correlations were verified between the gust or peak factor (PF) and high-order moments such as skewness, kurtosis, fifth-order, and sixth-order moments. Accordingly, the PF of the velocity components and wind speed were compared with the predictions by statistical methods based on the Weibull and Gram–Charlier series (GCS). These observations validate the previous statistical methods based on Weibull or GCS distributions. Although the physical interpretation of these statistics is ambiguous, the present analyses indicate that PF can be predicted by high-order moments, especially in particular, by skewness and kurtosis.

Field measurement study of intense thunderstorm outflows characteristics based on 356 m high meteorological tower

Based on the wind speed records obtained by 356-m-high Shenzhen meteorological gradient tower (SZMGT) during 2019–2020, 10 sets of typical intense thunderstorm outflow records were obtained by screening. This paper suggests that moving average period T=60s is a suitable choice based on the correlation between time-varying mean wind and fluctuating wind. In order to discuss the wind characteristics of thunderstorm flow more precisely, it is divided into ramp-up stage, peak stage, and dissipation stage, and the average wind characteristics and fluctuating wind characteristics are analyzed in detail. Analysis revealed the change of average wind angle is usually caused by the movement of the downburst. The shape of the downburst flow profile is time-varying and has certain differences from several empirical profiles. The dissipation stage is closer to synoptic wind in terms of the wind profile than the ramp-up and peak stages. The turbulence intensity of downbursts is not significantly related to the height, but it is more significantly related to the average wind speed as well as the gust factor.

Comparative study on characteristics of typhoon gusts in the coastal and offshore areas of the South China Sea

Typhoon gusts are hazardous to buildings and structures in both coastal and offshore areas, but the gust characteristics in the two areas could be quite different. In this study, the observational data from two meteorological stations, one at Shenzhen (coastal) and the other in the offshore area of the South China Sea are used to analyze the typhoon gust-related variables and to find the theoretical distribution model that best describes them. The results show that in both coastal and offshore areas, the probability density distributions of all gust-related variables are non-Gaussian. When fitting the curve of the statistical data, the Gengamma model performs the best, followed by the Lognormal model, and the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution model. Specifically, the gust factor and turbulence intensity are generally Gengamma- and GEV- distributed, respectively. The distributions exhibit certain differences in different gust variables in coastal and offshore areas. The theoretical probabilistic models perform better in the offshore area than in the coastal area. The gust factor increases linearly with the turbulence intensity, while previous empirical models tend to overestimate it. The gust factor and turbulence intensity are significantly higher in the offshore area than in the coastal area. Slower turbulent dissipation is found in the offshore area during typhoon process. A strong positive correlation is shown between the gust amplitude and the turbulent flux. In both coastal and offshore areas, the larger the gust amplitude is, the more the turbulent flux is transmitted.