Abstract
Tornado-like vortices are simulated in a large-scale Ward-type simulator to further advance the understanding of such flows, and to facilitate future studies of tornado wind loading on structures. Measurements of the velocity fields near the simulator floor and the resulting floor surface pressures are interpreted to reveal the mean and fluctuating characteristics of the flow as well as the characteristics of the static-pressure deficit. We focus on the manner in which the swirl ratio and the radial Reynolds number affect these characteristics. The transition of the tornado-like flow from a single-celled vortex to a dual-celled vortex with increasing swirl ratio and the impact of this transition on the flow field and the surface-pressure deficit are closely examined. The mean characteristics of the surface-pressure deficit caused by tornado-like vortices simulated at a number of swirl ratios compare well with the corresponding characteristics recorded during full-scale tornadoes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Burgers JM (1948) A mathematical model illustrating the theory of turbulence. Adv Appl Mech 1:171–199
Church CR, Snow JT, Agee EM (1977) Tornado vortex simulation at Purdue University. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 58(9):900–908
Church C, Snow JT, Baker GL, Agee EM (1979) Characteristics of tornado-like vortices as a function of swirl ratio: a laboratory investigation. J Atmos Sci 36(9):1755–1776
Davies-Jones RP (1973) The dependence of core radius on swirl ratio in a tornado simulator. J Atmos Sci 30(7):1427–1430
Davies-Jones RP, Wood VT (2006) Simulated Doppler velocity signatures of evolving tornado-like vortices. J Atmos Ocean Technol 23(8):1029–1048
Dessens J Jr (1972) Influence of ground roughness on tornadoes: a laboratory simulation. J Appl Meteorol 11(1):72–75
Haan FL, Sarkar PP, Gallus WA (2008) Design, construction and performance of a large tornado simulator for wind engineering applications. Eng Struct 30(4):1146–1159
Ishihara T, Oh S, Tokuyama Y (2011) Numerical study on flow fields of tornado-like vortices using the LES turbulence model. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 99(4):239–248
Jischke MC, Parang M (1974) Properties of simulated tornado-like vortices. J Atmos Sci 31(2):506–512
Karstens CD, Samaras TM, Lee BD, Gallus WA Jr, Finley CA (2010) Near-ground pressure and wind measurements in tornadoes. Mon Weather Rev 138(7):2570–2588
Lewellen DC, Lewellen WS (2007) Near-surface intensification of tornado vortices. J Atmos Sci 64(7):2176–2194
Lewellen WS (1962) A solution for three-dimensional vortex flows with strong circulation. J Fluid Mech 14(03):420–432
Lewellen WS, Lewellen DC, Sykes RI (1997) Large-eddy simulation of a tornado’s interaction with the surface. J Atmos Sci 54(5):581–605
Liu Z, Ishihara T (2015) Numerical study of turbulent flow fields and the similarity of tornado vortices using large-eddy simulations. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 145:42–60
Lund DE, Snow JT (1993) Laser Doppler velocimeter measurements in tornadolike vortices, the tornado: its structure, dynamics, prediction, and hazards. American Geophysical Union, Washington, pp 297–306
Matsui M, Tamura Y (2009) Influence of incident flow conditions on generation of tornado-like flow. In: Proceedings of the 11th Americas conference on wind engineering, Puerto Rico
Mishra AR, James DL, Letchford CW (2008) Physical simulation of a single-celled tornado-like vortex, part A: flow field characterization. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 96(8–9):1243–1257
Natarajan D, Hangan H (2012) Large eddy simulations of translation and surface roughness effects on tornado-like vortices. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 104–106:577–584
Nolan DS (2005) A new scaling for tornado-like vortices. J Atmos Sci 62(7):2639–2645
Nolan DS, Farrell BF (1999) The structure and dynamics of tornado-like vortices. J Atmos Sci 56(16):2908–2936
Refan M, Hangan H (2016) Characterization of tornado-like flow fields in a new model scale wind testing chamber. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 151:107–121
Refan M, Hangan H, Siddiqui K (2015) Physical modelling of tornado-like flow field. In: ASME-JSME-KSME 2015 joint fluids engineering conference, Seoul, Korea
Refan M, Hangan H, Wurman J (2014) Reproducing tornadoes in laboratory using proper scaling. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 135:136–148
Rott N (1958) On the viscous core of a line vortex. Z Angew Math Phys 9(5–6):543–553
Snow JT, Church CR, Barnhart BJ (1980) An investigation of the surface pressure fields beneath simulated tornado cyclones. J Atmos Sci 37(5):1013–1026
Sullivan RD (1959) A two-cell vortex solution of the Navier–Stokes equations. J Aerosp Sci 26(11):767–768
Tari PH, Gurka R, Hangan H (2010) Experimental investigation of tornado-like vortex dynamics with swirl ratio: the mean and turbulent flow fields. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 98(12):936–944
Wang J, Cao S, Pang W, Cao J (2017) Experimental study on effects of ground roughness on flow characteristics of tornado-like vortices. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 162(2):319–339
Wang J, Cao S, Pang W, Cao J, Zhao L (2016) Wind-load characteristics of a cooling tower exposed to a translating tornado-like vortex. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 158:26–36
Ward NB (1972) The exploration of certain features of tornado dynamics using a laboratory model. J Atmos Sci 29(6):1194–1204
Wood VT, Brown RA (2011) Simulated tornadic vortex signatures of tornado-like vortices having one- and two-celled structures. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 50(11):2338–2342
Wurman J, Alexander CR (2005) The 30 May 1998 Spencer, South Dakota, Storm. Part II: comparison of observed damage and radar-derived winds in the tornadoes. Mon Weather Rev 133(1):97–119
Wurman J, Robinson P, Alexander C, Richardson Y (2007) Low-level winds in tornadoes and potential catastrophic tornado impacts in urban areas. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 88(1):31–46
Ying SJ, Chang CC (1970) Exploratory model study of tornado-like vortex dynamics. J Atmos Sci 27(1):3–14
Zhang W, Sarkar PP (2008) Effects on ground roughness on tornado like vortex using PIV. In: Proceedings of the AAWE workshop, Vail, Colorado
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Professor William Gallus in the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences at Iowa State University for providing the full-scale surface-pressure measurement data used for comparison with our surface measurements. The authors also want to pay tribute to the late Timothy Samaras, who contributed to the recording of the full-scale surface-pressure data. We acknowledge partial support from the National Science Foundation under award number CMMI 1663363.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tang, Z., Feng, C., Wu, L. et al. Characteristics of Tornado-Like Vortices Simulated in a Large-Scale Ward-Type Simulator. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 166, 327–350 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-017-0305-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-017-0305-7