Abstract
Although cracks have been caused at the welded portion in a steel chimney of thermal power plants constructed in islands, their causes are not necessarily clarified yet, and it is important for structural maintenance to investigate and to clarify the dominant factor of the cracks. In this study, we investigate the possibility of fatigue damage by local wind loads affected by geography. Fatigue damages are estimated based on the results of frequency response FEM analyses and local wind velocity by sixteen directions obtained by air flow simulations and wind data from nearby meteorological observatory. From the results of this study, relations between the fatigue damage due to local wind and cracks are quantitatively clarified.
