Active gust generation and its application to

bluff body aerodynamics

Akihide Hatanakaa and Hiroshi Kobayashib
a

Bridge & Steel Structures Engineering Department, Hitachi Zosen Steel Structures Corporation,
1-5-1 Chikkoshinmachi, Sakai, Osaka, Japan
b
Dept. of Civil Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan
ABSTRACT: The authors developed a gust generator. The effects of gusty wind to structural
models were investigated. In this paper, active gust generation techniques and its advantages are
summarized and one of the experimental studies for bluff body aerodynamic problems using the
advantages is presented. The experimental study includes the estimations of aerodynamic
admittance functions and indicial response functions of bluff bodies. And flutter derivatives in
turbulent flows of bluff bodies are extracted.
KEYWORDS: Active gust generator, Aerodynamic admittance function, Bluff body
aerodynamics, Flutter derivatives, Turbulence
1 INTRODUCTION
For an accurate estimation of aerodynamic responses in natural wind, it may be more reasonable
to measure aerodynamic properties (Ex. static and dynamic aerodynamic forces, flutter
derivatives etc.) in a turbulent flow similar to natural wind. We have developed an active gust
generator to simulate turbulent flow similar to natural wind for two-dimensional wind tunnel
testing [1]. Experimental studies of bluff body aerodynamics have been carried out using the
generation devices. In this paper, active gust generation techniques and its advantages are
summarized and one of the experimental studies is introduced.
2 ACTIVE GUST GENERATION
2.1 Active simulating procedure of wind gust
Fig.1 shows an outline of the active gust generator. The active gust generator consists of arrays
of plates and airfoils, which play role on horizontal and vertical wind gusts.
Time history of a wind gust with target power spectra and phase angles is simulated by
simulation using Fast Fourier Transformation. Also, time history may be obtained from direct
scaling of the observed wind velocity at a bridge construction site.
The simulated time history is transformed into the voltage data to drive AC servomotor.
The servomotor drives plates or airfoils. The motion of the plates or airfoils gives time varying
wind velocity. At the first try, the generated wind velocity doesnt agree well with the target ones.
Considering to the differences in power spectra and phase angles between the target and the
measured wind velocity, the target power spectra and phase angles are modified. Modified time
history is calculated from the modified power spectra and phase angles. The modified time
history is also transformed into the voltage data for the second process of simulation. The above
process is repeated several times until the measured power spectra and phase angles get close to
the target ones. Of course, turbulence intensity and turbulence length scale also agree with the

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target ones.

Opening

Array of
plates

Grid

A
Mesh

Mesh
B

of airfoils
Array
bar
Rectangular

C
Mesh

50

260 1
60

1190

Section model
forv
ertical
win
d
gust

70

for horiz

ontal w

indgus
t
1 70

200

600

200

Wind

Measurement of wind velocity

:m
m
Unit
mm

Control signal
Microcomputer
(Control and measurement)

Fig.1 Outline of active gust generation in an Eiffel type wind tunnel of Ritsumeikan University

2.2 Wind tunnel testing of active gust generation

Wind tunnel testing is carried out in a Go&&ttingen type wind tunnel with a working section of
20003000mm2 in the research center of Hitachi Zosen. Experimental facilities are similar to
the active gust generator in Fig.1. The fluctuating vertical and horizontal components of the flow
were measured by hot-wire anemometers at the center of sectional model placed 1680mm
downstream from the trailing edge of the airfoils.
The active gust generation was applied to simulate turbulence of Von Krmns spectrum
as target spectrum (target values: Iu=10%, Iw=5%, Lu=200cm, Lw=50cm) in the wind tunnel.
Fig.2 shows the target and the measured time history of wind gust. The measured time history
agreed well with the target ones. Moreover, the measured turbulence intensity and turbulence
length scale also agreed well with the target ones.

Target : U=5.0m/s, Iu=10%, Lu=200cm

Target : Iw=5%, Lw=50cm

Measured : Iw=5.0%, Lw=54cm

Measured : U=5.0m/s, Iu=9.7%, Lu=192cm

(b) Vertical component

(a) Horizontal component

Fig.2 Target and measured time history of horizontal and vertical wind velocity

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3 APPLICATION TO BLUFF BODY AERODYNAMIC PLOBLEMS

Table 1 shows the advantage of active gust generation and the experimental studies for bluff
body aerodynamic problems considering the above advantages. In this paper, experimental
estimations of complex aerodynamic admittance functions and flutter derivatives of bluff
structures in turbulent flows are introduced.
Table 1 Advantage of active gust generation and application to bluff body aerodynamic
Advantage of active gust generation
Application to bluff body aerodynamics
Fundamental study on turbulent effects on
Generation of large scale turbulence
aerodynamic behavior [2,3,4]
Control of turbulence properties
Generation of the wind gust with fundamental function such Measurements of fundamental aerodynamic
response functions using sharp edged gust or
as step change function or sine wave
sinusoidal wind gust [5]
Repeatability of simulated wind gust
Measurement of flutter derivatives in a turbulent
Generation of two dimensional wind gust
flow [6]

3.1 Complex aerodynamic admittance functions of bluff bodies

Complex aerodynamic admittance functions of NACA0012 airfoil section and the rectangular
cylinder with B/D ratio = 7.5 were measured. It is necessary to measure fluctuating wind velocity
at the model position (as the input) and aerodynamic forces (as the output) at the same time to
estimate complex aerodynamics admittance functions. Because the gust generator can provide
the same time history at each test case, we can identify the wind velocity at just leading edge or
the center of the model for the previously generated data. Thus we can obtain fluctuating wind
velocity and aerodynamic forces under the wind gust with same time.
Fig.3 shows experimental results for moment forces. Ku&&ssner ' s function was calculated
by inverse Fourier transformation of complex aerodynamic admittance function. For the airfoil
section, the measured values are in agreement with Sears function and Ku&&ssner ' s function.
For the rectangular cylinder, the measured values have different tendency with Sears function
and Ku&&ssner ' s function. The Ku&&ssner ' s function has overshoot transiently before
convergence to quasi-steady value (=1.0). The overshooting of transient aerodynamic moment
might be related to growth of separation bubbles from the leading edges.

100fB/U101

3
2
1
0
-1
-2 -4
10

100fB/U101

3
2
1
0
-1
-2 -4
10

10-1
10-2
10-3 -4
10

Measured
Sears function

10-3

10-2

10-1

101

B/D=7.5

|XM|2

100
10-1
Measured
Sears function

10-2
10-3 -4
10

10-3

10-2

10-1

Equivalent Ku&&ssner' s function

3
Measured
Kussner's function

2
1
0

10-3

10-2

10-1

100fB/U101

10-2

10-1

10

Measured
Kussner's function

100fB/U101

10

15

2UtB

Fig.3 Measurement of complex aerodynamic admittance functions for aerodynamic moment

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15

2UtB

10-3

Real (Measured)
Imagunary (Measured)
Real (Sears function)
Imaginary (Sears function)

M()

|XM|2

NACA0012

Real (Measured)
Imagunary (Measured)
Real (Sears function)
Imaginary (Sears function)

Complex Admittance
XM,R , XM,I

101
10

Complex admittance

M()

Aerodynamic admittance

Complex Admittance
XM,R , XM,I

Section

3.2 Flutter derivatives of bluff bodies in a turbulent flow

Effects of upstream gust on flutter derivatives of rectangular cylinders were studied. Flutter
derivatives in turbulent flows were measured using forced vibration method. Aerodynamic forces
were measured in a fixed and a sinusoidal moving model. On each model the same time history
of wind gust was applied. Subtracting the aerodynamic forces acting on the fixed model from
that on the moving model, we could get the aerodynamic forces due to the body motions alone.
From comparison between the flutter derivatives in the smooth and the turbulent flows
(see Fig.4, 5), it was found that the upstream gust has different effects on the flutter derivatives
according to sectional shapes. It was concluded that the flutter derivative of the rectangular
cylinders with larger vortex separations from the leading edges are especially subjected to the
effects of the upstream gust.
10

B/D=6

15
Smooth Flow
Turbulent Flow

10

B/D=7.5

Smooth Flow
Turbulent Flow

2 *

-5

B/D=10

-10
5

10

15

20

0
-5

- - - - : Thin Airfoil Theory

by R.T.Jones' Approximation

25

-10

30

10

- - - - : Thin Airfoil Theory

by R.T.Jones' Approximation

15

20

25

30

Fig.4 Turbulent effects on flutter derivatives_A2* of

rectangular cylinders with and without fairing

Fig.5 Turbulent effects on flutter derivatives_A2* of

rectangular cylinders with different B/D ratio

4 CONCLUSIONS
The gust generator can repeatedly produce accurate time history. This feature is main advantage
of this gust generator. This advantage was effectively used in the experimental estimations of
aerodynamic admittance functions and experimental extractions of flutter derivatives in turbulent
flows.
5 REFERENCE
1 Kobayashi, H., Hatanaka, A. and Ueda, T., Active simulation of time histories of strong wind gust in a wind
tunnel, J. of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 53 (1992), 315-330.
2 Kobayashi,H., Kawatani,M. and Nakade,O., Vortex-Induced Oscillation of Two Dimensional Rectangular
Cylinders in Large Scale Turbulence, J. of Wind Engineering, 37 (1988), 19-24.
3 Hatanaka, A. and Tanaka, H., New Estimation Method of Aerodynamic Admittance Function, J. of Wind
Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 90(2002), 2073-2086.
4 Hatanaka,A. and Tanaka, H., Aerodynamic Admittance Functions of Rectangular Cylinders, Proc. 5th
International Colloquium on Bluff Body Aerodynamics and Applications, Ottawa, 2004., pp.173-176
5 Kobayashi,H., Hatanaka,A. and Okumura, M., Measurement of aeroelastic response function in actively
simulated wind gusts, Proc. 4th International Colloquium on Bluff Body Aerodynamics and Applications, Bochum,
2000.
6 Hatanaka,A. and Tanaka, H., Effects of upstream gusting on flutter derivatives of bluff bodies, Proc. 6th
Asia-Pacific Conference on Wind Engineering, Seoul, 2005., pp.491-506

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