STUDY OF TOWER CRANE WIND
EFFECT
Abstract
In the last years, Europe was hit by several
severe windstorms, which produced extensive damages. Among others, several
tower cranes fell down. Strong windstorm and unfavourable erection site
with surrounding buildings could result in an increase of overturning
or failure risks. Those conditions usually appear on high-rise building
sites during hurricanes. The aim of this study is thus to include understand
and characterize crane behaviour in storm wind, in order to reduce the
risk of overturning.
The dynamic behaviour of the slewing part conditions the stability of
the crane in out of service condition. In high-rise building site, wind
directions are strongly fluctuating particularly in the zones of wakes
of buildings. Because of its inertia (mass, frictions) the crane jib
does not follow the instantaneous changes of flow direction, it is thus
subjected permanently to unsteady efforts which can produce crane failures.
The experimental approach consisted in carrying out a crane model. Mass
distribution, slewing part inertia, friction coefficient and linear
wind surface distribution were reproduced at model scale in order to
reproduce realistic slewing part behavior in wind tunnel. This model
is fully operational and makes it possible to detect and quantify out
surrounding effect to which the cranes can be subjected.
The second way is the results of a numerical model allowing a temporal
simulation of the tower crane behaviour in storm wind. Two methods of
generation of wind are presented. A numerical / experimental comparison
is carried out starting from a concrete case of environment effect.
Key words: Tower crane, Aerodynamic,
Overturning risk, Wind loads, Wind tunnel, Similarity law, Slender structure,
Structure mechanic, Environmental effect, Truss, Safety on building
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