Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Glasgow
Abstract
This report forms the second part of a study, commissioned by W.S. Atkins and Partners
Overseas, into the galloping stability of the prismatic elements of the Tower Hotel, which is
part of the Chicago Beach Resort Development. The particular subject of this study is the
mast which extends above the top of the Hotel, which was not investigated previously due to a lack of relevant aerodynamic data.
The report presents aerodynamic data for a number of shapes which have been identified as
possessing some of the important features of the mast cross-section. Along with the
structural and modal data supplied by W.S. Atkins, an assessment of the critical galloping
speeds of these shapes is made after extending the quasi-steady theory originally described in the first report.
There is strong evidence to suggest that the mast will not experience an instability due to
transverse galloping, however the absence of sharp comers increases significantly the
sensitivity of the transverse force coefficient to body geometry and Reynolds number.
Increased confidence in the assessment requires more accurate aerodynamic data, obtainable from a series of wind tunnel tests on representative scale models of the mast cross-section
