Megastructures: use of CFD turbulence models for the evaluation of wind-induced fatigue loads

The determination of time dependent wind actions on large civil steel structures by means of turbulence models for CFD allows an improved evaluation of the fatigue load spectrum. The purpose of this paper is to identify, from literature review, the flow characteristics required to conduct a proper assessment of a fatigue load spectrum, given that practical cases determine which are the properties of the flow to be relevant. Subsequently, some CFD turbulence models are presented in order to investigate their ability to provide the required outputs with an appropriate level of detail. The computational cost of the models is also considered.