Tornado dynamics study using immersed boundary (IB) - Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) on a 7-cylinder building configuration

Tornadoes are disastrous, naturally occurring atmospheric phenomena; they cause fatalities; they damage properties with an exceptional combination of translational and rotational velocities. Despite many studies on tornado-structure interaction, the research papers on tornado-multi-body interactions are limited. This research studies the effects of a tornadic wind on a 7-cylinder building model at several orientations in 2-D using a powerful Immersed Boundary-Lattice Boltzmann Method (IB-LBM). The tornadic wind was simulated by a customized Rankine Combined Vortex Model (RCVM). The wind-loadings on the seven cylinders were quantified using aerodynamic force and moment coefficients. The essential flow features associated with a vortex-structure interaction was investigated in great detail by doing a case study. Then, a unique optimization procedure was utilized to detect individual safe zones for each aerodynamic coefficient. Finally, an overall safe zone for the complete 7-cylinder building model has been ascertained to be between 29° and 69° by analyzing the individual safe zones.