Table 11.
Scale Factors
Fig. 2. Model C mounting
the relatively weak excitation arising
from the small diameter. The larger con-
ductor was also lacking in stiffness, but
was also heavier than desirable.
Model A, a 5.653:1 model of the 0.398-
inch diameter conductor, was constructed
from six 0.75-inch aluminum tubes coiled
around a 0.75-inch straight section of tub-
ing. In the coiling operation the pitch
was maintained at the proper scale. A
certain amount of relative motion between
the seven tubes develped during the test,
thus introducing an undesirable damping,
and it became necessary to fill the inner
tube and spaces between tubes with
plaster of paris.
Model B, a 1.013:1 model of the 1.60-
inch-diameter conductor was constructed
by carefully removing the 28 strands from
a 70-inch length of the conductor and
reinstalling them on a special aluminum
tube of proper diameter. This was a
difficult operation since the strands could
not be forced exactly into their original
configuration. As a result, the diameter
of the reconstructed model was 0.02 inch
greater than the prototype.
Model C, a 2.422:1 enlarged model of
the 1.6-inch conductor, was formed by
coiling 28 aluminum tubes 0.375 inch in
diameter around a 3.125-inch-diameter
aluminum tube.
Models D, E, and F were smooth tubes
corresponding as closely as was practical
to the diameters of models A, B, and C
respectively.
Similitude
Shape, weight, frequency, and struc-
tural damping are the controlling param-
eters in the design of the models and the
interpretation of the effect of wind action.
The frequency is controlled by the spring
suspension where practical considerations
determine the design of the springs and a
very wide latitude is available. The
range of available steady wind velocities
OCT0O3BR 1956 Farquharson, McHugh, Jr.-Wind Tunnel Investigation of Vibration
Fig. 3. Details of model attachment to
springs
in the wind tunnel establishes the limits
of spring characteristics, but in the
interest of accuracy in observation, too
low a critical wind velocity must be
avoided. In these tests the wind velocity
varied between 2.98 fps and 11.97 feet per
second. The scale factors applicable to
these investigations are shown in Table II.
The dimensionless parameter V/fd is a
constant for model and prototype under
similar conditions of aerodynamic damp-
ing. In these investigations the struc-
tural damping, arising from the spring
suspension, on each model has been
separately evaluated and subtracted. In
the case of models A, B, and C a small
increments of structural damping arose
from slight interaction between the several
parts of the model.
Vibration of Conductors Under Wind
GENERAL
A steady wind stream excites oscilla-
tions of a conductor or model only by
adding energy to the motion of the con-
ductor or model. If the amplitude builds
up to a certain value and there remains
steady, it follows that no change in the
energy condition is taking place, i.e., the
energy added is just enough to offset the
energy loss by structural damping. In
the same wind stream an artificially ex-
cited amplitude above the steady-state
will die down to the steady-state ampli-
tude. It is evident in this case that
energy is removed from the conductor or
model at the higher amplitudes. In other
words, the rate and sign of energy transfer
between the wind stream and the conduc-
tor or model are functions of the amplitude
of vibration.
Since the rate of energy transfer is a
function of the amplitude of the vibra-
Function Symbol Scale
Diameter . ......... d dm
Weight, unit . ............ ' ' W=
WV
Weight, total ........ W
. W-
Frequency.,. a fm
Wind velocity . .......... V .....wV..=. s/P i
Displacement .' =.
tions, it is the same for each unit of length
of a rigid model because all cross sections
of the model have the same form and
vibrate at the same amplitude.
The air forces acting upon a model de-
pend upon the shape of the section, the
mass density of the air, and the relative
motion between the model and the air
stream. The ratio of energy transfer
(energy transferred in one cycle, divided
by the total energy of vibration of that
cycle) between the wind stream and a
model depends on these same factors plus
the mass properties of the section. If all
properties of the model (except mass
radius of gyration for a conductor, since
no coupling between the translation and
rotational motions is assumed to exist) are
properly scaled from the prototype, the
air forces on the model represent to the
correct scale the air forces on the proto-
type at the corresponding amplitude and,
therefore, the ratio of energy transfer
(dimensionless) per unit length is identical
on model and prototype at equivalent
scaled amplitudes.
The over-all ratio of energy transfer
on the prototype where the amplitude is
not constant along the length is deter-
mined by the summation of the ratio of
energy transfers on all the unit lengths,
each moving at its own amplitude, and can
be calculated by a simple integration
process.
The ratio of energy transfer may be
calculated through the use of the log-
arithmic decrement, a (defined as the
natural logarithm of the ratio of the
amplitudes in two successive cycles) due
to the air forces. This ratio of energy
transfer is as given in the following:
AUa
j-,-
Expanding 1-e-~2 by a series and
dropping the powers of a
AU=25U (2)
where AU is the energy transferred in one
873