The Effect of Helical Wire Wrapping on the Wind Load Characteristics of Conductors

In addressing the impact of helical wire wrapping on the aerodynamic characteristics of conductors, numerical simulations were conducted based on a fully structured grid by solving the Navier-Stokes equations. Unsteady flow fields around conductors models with helical wire wrapping of varying pitches were obtained, and aerodynamic load time histories were extracted for analysis. The results indicate that helical wires with different pitches significantly reduce the amplitude of oscillatory forces on smooth cylinders, with minimal influence on the Strouhal number. The effectiveness of helical wires in altering the aerodynamic loads on smooth cylinders is notably affected by pitch and Reynolds number: the average drag coefficients for 100mm and 200mm pitches are higher than those for smooth cylinders, effectively mitigating vortex-induced excitation forces. Under the 300mm pitch condition, the average drag coefficients are lower than those for smooth cylinders at wind speeds of 10m/s and 20m/s, but higher at 30m/s. The influence of pitch and Reynolds number is significant in determining the effectiveness of helical wires in altering aerodynamic loads on smooth cylinders.