Wind Load of Telecom Equipment in Masts – Comparing Numerical Simulations and Wind Tunnel Measurements

The aerodynamic force on an Ericsson AIR product has been computed using different prediction methods and different wind angles. First, the forces have been predicted using empirical formulas based on EN 1991-1-4. This is a standard designed to predict aerodynamic force on buildings, structures and sub-structures for mechanical structural calculations. Second, two sets of numerical simulations have been used and finally wind tunnel tests have been performed. This study has found that the EN-calculation is conservative by at least 20% compared to wind tunnel tests. This was expected since the empirical formulas only consider the height, width, depth and side edge curvature of the unit and should be conservative for structural calculations. The numerical simulation and wind tunnel tests show good agreement, especially with wind from the front. The authors recommend CFD alone for well known, simpler unit shapes, but the inclusion of WT measurements for units with more complex shapes where more detailed force predictions are required.