ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS OF PRESSURE-FLUCTUATIONS ON BLUFF-BODIES USING EIGENVECTORS

Studies of the analysis and synthesis of pressure fluctuations on bluff bodies in complex turbulent flows, such as structures in the natural wind, using eigenvectors are reviewed. The basic concepts of correlation and covariance, and the properties of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the covariance matrix are discussed. The significance of the eigenvector modes in relation to the underlying physical causes of the pressure fluctuations are discussed with examples. The weighting of recorded pressure fluctuations with the eigenvectors to produce time histories associated with the separate modes and the calculation of structural load effects, is also discussed, with examples from low-rise building windtunnel tests. © 1990.