Our Expertise | MECHANICS

Using CFD Analysis to predict the effect of Wind on a Tower Crane

CFD proves to offer a reliable working methodology for designers

Newsletter EnginSoft Year 17 n°3
revision November 2022
By Francesco Valente, Terex Tower Cranes | Alessandro Arcidiacono, EnginSoft
Fig. 1 - Terex flat top CTT172-8 crane
Fig. 1 - Terex flat top CTT172-8 crane

Abstract

Designers of tower cranes must consider many variables when translating the interaction between air flow and a structure into an integral force.
Synthesizing the variables makes the calculations more precise and easier to perform, without compromising safety margins.
Industry regulations must also be followed in creating appropriate predictive models for evaluating the effect of airflow on these cranes. The reference standard for calculating the wind loads acting on a tower crane are conceptually simple and easy to implement and include many rules and parameters that can help designers to evaluate the shielding effects of components’ shapes. However, engineers must typically be guided by their intuition and experience to understand how much one element is shielded by another and how intensely they are affected by the air flow.
This article proposes the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to address these complexities.

Terex is a registered trademark of Terex Corporation in the United States of America and many other countries

Read the article

Find out more

CASE STUDY

Structural Engineering

Beyond the Otherness between Art and Technique

Read the fascinating articles on the vast subject of structural engineering, beginning with a philosophical bent and arguing for the necessity of a skillful and artful intertwining of Engineering, Numerical Simulation, Art and Technology to achieve structures that are both eminently functional yet attractive and appealing.

civil-engineering

NEWSROOM

Stay connected with us: news, analysis and trends from our experts.

Newsroom  

MEDIA CENTER

Scroll through our Media Center to view all the videos, video-tutorials and recorded webinars.

Media Center  

CASE STUDY

Optimizing the performance of antennas installed on avionics platforms

Rapid and accurate evaluation of platform impact on antenna radiating characteristics is vital

This article discusses the use of the Ansys HFSS SBR+ method for wave propagation analysis that is based on specific EM propagation formulations (commonly referred to as Asymptotic Methods), and which offers an effective alternative in terms of solution accuracy and computational cost. The method’s effectiveness is demonstrated in this case study that considers the analysis of an ESM sinuous antenna installed on an avionics platform.

ansys electronics