Wind Tunnel Test and Wind Effects on Cable Dome

This paper presents preliminary results of an aeroelastic wind tunnel test on a cable dome. The structural design of the model is given in detail. Similarity requirements based on dimensional analysis are discussed, including Froude number, Cauchy number and Scruton number. Structural tests are conducted on the aeroelastic model. Dynamic instability subject to harmonic excitation like SDOF hardening system is verified. Both odd and even frequency components are excited when the shaking table dowels at 29Hz. For the one-degree-of-freedom Duffing model, even frequency components will be impossible due to the symmetry of the motion equation if symmetry-breaking bifurcation behaviors do not occur. Phase plane is checked and discussed when the shaking table dowels at 7Hz. A strange attractor is found from Poincare map. Some statistical results of wind tunnel tests are presented. The possibility of aeroelasic instability of the cable dome is discussed.