Mathematical Analysis of the Wind Field Characteristics at a Towering Peak Protruding out of a Steep Mountainside

Abstract

Wind field characteristics in a complex topography are significantly influenced by the nature of the surrounding terrains. This study employs onsite measurements to investigate the wind field characteristics at a towering peak protruding out of a steep mountainside, where butterfly−lookalike landscape platform will be constructed; the impact of the surrounding topography on the wind flow is highlighted. The results showed that the blocking effect of the mountains in the mountainous side of the valley caused a significant drop in the mean wind speed from that direction. The stationary test (reverse arrangement test) indicated that the wind speed had a strong nonstationary characteristic, necessitating the employment of a steady and nonstationary wind speed model to assess the wind turbulence characteristics. The three directions’ wind turbulence integral scales were critically influenced by the occurrence of the wind speedup effect, unexpectedly resulting in the vertical turbulence integral scale being the greatest of the three. Furthermore, the measured wind turbulence properties under both wind speed models showed certain variations from the recommended specifications. Consequently, the impact of the local terrain and the speedup effect on the wind characteristics must be thoroughly evaluated to ensure the structural stability of structures installed at a similar topography.

Keywords

• statistical analysis
• time−varying mean (TVM)
• multimodal lognormal distribution
• nonstationary wind speed model