Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.
To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser.
2002, Mathematical and Computer Modelling
Exact solutions of the Euler equations are used to describe the effect of density stratification on unsteady swirling shear flows of an incompressible fluid. Typically, in air, this stratification is produced by variations in the temperature and the concentration of moisture. In these flows, the horizontal pressure gradients vary with time and horizontal position, but not with height. The variations in the horizontal components of acceleration are produced solely by the fact that the fluid is stratified. The complex flow patterns model some of the main features of the flows that occur at the core of a tornado during both its spin-up and spin-down stages.
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 1979
The structure and dynamics of tornadoes and the mechanisms leading to their formation are explored in the context of an axi-symmetric numerical model of a tornado cyclone. The paper extends a recent study of tornadogenesis by the authors to include explicit representation of moisture effects.
Reviews of Geophysics, 1982
Advances in understanding the dynamics of tornado vortices since the Lubbock symposium of 1976 are reviewed. The focus is on results obtained from experimental work with laboratory models and from numerical simulations of both real and laboratory events. Progress is shown to have been made in two areas: an increased appreciation for the possible complexities of tornado vortex structure and an improved understanding of the vorticity dynamics of columnar vortices. With respect to the former the evolution of the central core flow from a single-celled to a two-celled flow is described, and a mechanism capable of producing the multiple-vortex phenomenon is discussed. In the latter area the arrangements of vortex lines within the surface inflow layer and in the cores of one-and two-celled vortices are presented. It is seen that both the laboratory work and the numerical simulations indicate a key role in the dynamics of the vortex core played by the vortex breakdown phenomenon. Wherever possible, the theoretical findings are related to recent high-quality observations of actual tornadoes.
Physics of Fluids A: Fluid Dynamics, 1991
Jwe 日本風工学研究会誌, 2006
Three-dimensional RANS simulations of tornado-like vortices are benchmarked against experimental results for one swirl ratio: S = 0.28. The simulations are then extended for higher swirl ratio and the variability of the macro-flow dynamics is observed. For lower swirl a laminar surface vortex forms which then breaks-up aloft into a turbulent vortex which with increasing swirl descends towards the surface.
2021
The increased devastation associated with tornadic flow-fields in terms of human lives or destruction of properties and their subsequent economic losses highlights the significance of understanding the tornado vortex structure, particularly near the ground where the majority of this destruction happens. While the body of research in this area is increasing there is a lack of resolution associated with physical near-surface measurements in tornado-like vortices (TLVs) and the effects of translation, surface roughness, and surface vortex dynamics are not yet well understood. In order to address these gaps, high spatial and temporal surface pressure measurements were carried out at WindEEE Dome to explore the characteristics of stationary and translating tornado-like vortices (TLV) for a wide range of swirl ratios (=0.21 to 1.03). The translational speed of the TLV and the surface roughness were varied to examine their effects on tornado ground pressures, wandering, and vortex structure. It was found that wandering is more pronounced at low swirl ratios and has a substantial effect on the peak pressure magnitude for stationary TLV (error percentage ≤ 35%). A new method for removing wandering was proposed which is applicable for a wide range of swirl ratios. For translating TLV, the nearsurface part lagged behind the top of the vortex, resulting in a tilt of the tornado vertical axis at higher translating speeds. Also, a veering motion of the tornado base towards the left was observed. Wandering was less pronounced for higher translation speeds. Increasing the surface roughness caused an analogous effect as lowering the swirl ratio. While surface pressure exploration of tornado-like vortices paved the way for understanding their complex structure near the ground, applying the acquired knowledge on buildings is intended to serve for the interpretation of tornado-induced pressures on buildings as a superposition of pressure deficit and aerodynamic effects. Thus, induced internal and external pressures on two generic low-rise buildings were quantified to assess the impacts of TLVs on low-rise buildings. The internal pressures were examined under different opening configurations, building orientations, building sizes, and offsets. It was found that a dominant opening on the roof induced the highest negative peak internal pressure. Increasing the building offset beyond the tornado core region caused a drastic reduction of the peak internal pressures iii by two-thirds. The peak internal pressures were higher for the smaller of the two buildings investigated herein. On the other hand, external pressure measurements showed that the building's roof, leeward wall, and left side wall experienced the maximum uplift at the core radius location. The comparison with the recently modified ASCE 7-16 code showed that roof corner pressures are safely predicted for all the cases while the mid-roof zone and the middle of the walls experienced higher suctions exceeding the recommended wind loads in ASCE 7-16.
2013
Although turbulence has been studied for more than five hundred years, a thorough understanding of turbulent flows is still missing. Nowadays computing power can offer an alternative tool, besides ...
Open Journal of Fluid Dynamics, 2017
Processes related to the production of vorticity in the forward and rear flank downdrafts and their interaction with the boundary layer are thought to play a role in tornadogenesis. We argue that an inverse energy cascade is a plausible mechanism for tornadogenesis and tornado maintenance and provide supporting evidence which is both numerical and observational. We apply a three-dimensional vortex gas model to supercritical vortices produced at the surface boundary layer possibly due to interactions of vortices brought to the surface by the rear flank downdraft and also to those related to the forward flank downdraft. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional vortex gas models are discussed, and the three-dimensional vortex gas model of Chorin, developed further by Flandoli and Gubinelli, is proposed as a model for intense smallscale subvortices found in tornadoes and in recent numerical studies by Orf et al. In this paper, the smaller scales are represented by intense, supercritical vortices, which transfer energy to the larger-scale tornadic flows (inverse energy cascade). We address the formation of these vortices as a result of the interaction of the flow with the surface and a boundary layer.
Fluid Dynamics, 2009
The motion of a dispersed inertial admixture in a steady-state axisymmetric 3D viscous incompressible flow formed by a semi-infinite vortex filament interacting with an orthogonally located substrate surface is considered. The carrier-phase parameters are found from the numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equations under the assumption of flow self-similarity of a known type [1]. Different phase force interaction schemes corresponding to different ratios of the phase densities are considered. For calculating the dispersed-phase continuum parameters, a full Lagrangian approach is used, which makes it possible to calculate the dispersed-phase concentration in particle accumulation zones and regions of intersecting particle trajectories. On the basis of parametric calculations, it is found that in the case of heavy particles (whose density is greater than that of the carrier phase) a "cup-shaped" particle accumulation surface visualizing a high-vorticity region is formed. The dependence of this surface shape on the governing parameters is investigated. It is shown that for different phase density ratios the dispersed-phase concentration fields are qualitatively different.
Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 2018
Given the difficulties associated with undertaking full-scale measurements in tornadoes, recourse is often made to models. In this field, analytical models have, perhaps surprisingly, stood the test of time, with the Rankine, Burgers-Rott and Sullivan models frequently invoked to model the flow field of a tornado. These mathematical models are by their very nature, a simplification of what is a highly complex phenomenon. However, in many cases they have been represented as the 'truth' without the fundamental assumptions governing the model being either explored in detail or even acknowledged. This paper attempts to rectify this by giving detailed information about assumptions and limitations of each vortex model and critically assesses the ability (or otherwise) of the Rankine, Burgers-Rott, Sullivan, and the recently published Baker vortex model to simulate tornado-like flow. Comparisons are made to the flow field of a physically simulated tornado, which by its very nature is also a model, but arguably more realistic. It was found that the vortex models are able to represent certain flow patterns at certain heights but fail, due to their simplifications, in replicating the entire three-dimensional flow structure obtained experimentally.
Intense Atmospheric Vortices, 1982
Preliminary results from an axisymmetric numerical simulation of tornado growth in a mesocyclone updraught are described. Using an observed tornadic storm proximity sounding, the calculations show that the distribution and degree of buoyancy in a mesocyclone updraught can account for the generation and maintenance of an intense tornado when the initial level of storm rotation is within the observed range of values. The structure of the mature tornado is highlighted by a comparison of the vertical force balance in a rotating and non-rotating updraught simulation. The present paper extends our recent studies of tornadogenesis to include the effects of moisture diffusion and of negative buoyancy due to the water loading of the updraught.
Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 2006
Rotating grid turbulence experiments have been carried out in a stably stratified fluid for relatively large Reynolds numbers (mesh Reynolds numbers up to 18000). Under the combined effects of rotation and stratification the flow degenerates into quasi horizontal motions. This regime is investigated using a scanning imaging velocimetry technique which provides time resolved velocity fields in a volume.
Atmospheric and oceanic flows are strongly affected by rotation and stratification. Rotation is exerted through Coriolis forces which mainly act in horizontal planes whereas stratification largely affects the motion along the vertical direction through buoyancy forces, the latters related to the vertical variation of the fluid density. Aiming at a better understanding of atmospheric and oceanic processes, in this thesis the properties of turbulence in rotating and stably stratified flows are studied by means of numerical simulations, with and without the presence of solid walls. A new code is developed in order to carry out high-resolution numerical simulations of geostrophic turbulence forced at large scales. The code was heavily parallelized with MPI (Message Passing Interface) in order to be run on massively parallel computers. The main problem which has been investigated is how the turbulent cascade is affected by the presence of strong but finite rotation and stratification. As opposed to the early theories in the field of geostrophic turbulence, we show that there is a forward energy cascade which is initiated at large scales. The contribution of this process to the general dynamic is secondary at large scales but becomes dominant at smaller scales where leads to a shallowing of the energy spectrum. Despite the idealized setup of the simulations, two-point statistics show remarkable agreement with measurements in the atmosphere, suggesting that this process may be an important mechanism for energy transfer in the atmosphere. The effect of stratification in wall-bounded turbulence is investigated by means of direct numerical simulations of open-channel flows. An existing fullchannel code was modified in order to optimize the grid in the vertical direction and avoid the clustering of grid points at the upper boundary, where the solid wall is replaced by a free-shear condition. The stable stratification which results from a cooling applied at the solid wall largely affects the outer structures of the boundary layer, whereas the near-wall structures appear to be mostly unchanged. The effect of gravity waves is also studied, and a new decomposition is introduced in order to separate the gravity wave field from the turbulent field.
Springer eBooks, 2008
European Journal of Applied Physics
A hydrodynamic mechanism of tornado formation is proposed: it is based on the air density decrease in ascending jets. The empirical verification of this mechanism is considered. The ways are discussed to weaken the tornado by reducing the inflow streams humidity or by introducing the discontinuity of air jets connecting the lower and upper layers of the atmosphere.
Meccanica, 2019
Within the wind engineering community, a series of physical simulators of differing geometries have been used to investigate the flow-field of tornado-like vortices. This paper examines the influence that the geometry of a simulator can have on the generated flow field. Surface pressure and velocity data have been measured for two swirl ratios (S = 0.30 and S = 0.69) in two different simulators of different scale and varying geometry. The results of this research suggest that far from being a mature research field, there are still many unresolved questions that need to be addressed before data obtained from such simulators can be used with confidence in practice.
Rapid distortion theory is applied to stratified homogeneous turbulence which is sheared in a rotating frame. Insight into the stabilizing and destabilizing effects of the combined stratification and frame rotation is gained by considering initial fields that are two-dimensional (but threecomponential), with the axis of independence aligned with the direction of the mean shear. For these conditions we derive solutions for the Fourier components of the flow variables, and we compute one-point statistics such as the Reynolds stresses and the structure dimensionality tensor. The results are in very good agreement with the exact numerical solution for initially three-dimensional isotropic homogeneous turbulence, especially regarding the large time behavior, and they could be a reference point for the development of turbulence models. We also study the short time behavior of the 3D initially isotropic case, and we show that it is mainly dependent on the level of stratification.
Physics of Fluids, 2007
Rapid distortion theory is applied to stratified homogeneous turbulence that is sheared in a rotating frame. Insight into the stabilizing and destabilizing effects of the combined stratification and frame rotation is gained by considering initial fields that are two-dimensional, with the axis of independence aligned with the flow direction. For these conditions, we derive solutions for the Fourier components of the flow variables, and for one-point statistics in physical space. The analytical results are in qualitative agreement with the exact numerical solution for initially isotropic homogeneous turbulence, and they could be a reference point for the development of turbulence models.
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.