The Reliability Analysis of Chimneys Due to Random Vortex Shedding

The literature presents the applicability of reliability principles to wind-sensitive structures like a tall chimney. Many uncertainties involved in the unreliability of any structure subjected to wind-induced vibration are illustrated in the literature. These uncertainties include the randomness of incoming inflow and the precision of models used to predict wind loadings. A 210 m tall, tapered chimney is considered an illustrative example. The reliability analysis is carried out considering the Vickery and Basu spectral analysis for vortex shedding force. Spectral analysis is carried out in the frequency domain considering only the fundamental mode. It is concluded from the study that threshold crossing reliability of the concrete chimney is greatly affected by parameters like randomness or turbulence of the incoming low, structural damping and other critical parameters involved in the spectral analysis. Strouhal number appears to be not imparting any influence on the reliability of the chimney. The study aims to understand the chimney's behavior from a reliability point of view.