Estimation of the minimum pressure coefficient due to gusts

Abstract

The minimum pressure coefficient Cp due to gusts registered at a pressure tap in a wind tunnel test is a random variable as experimental repeats will each time yield a different value. In the approach presented in this paper, the time series of the pressure measurements at a certain pressure tap is taken to be a statistically stationary process with a defined mean value and variance. Gust pressures falling below a threshold value usually taken at 2 standard deviations below the mean value are called exceedences and in a time series of a certain duration, the number of exceedences and their magnitudes are random variables. The theoretical distribution of the maximum exceedence over a given duration of time is derived based on the method suggested by Todorovic (1970) and certain parameters such as the most probable largest exceedence and the expected value of the largest exceedence for the given duration are also derived. The application of such estimates is also discussed. © 1995 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.