Experimental study on wind-induced vibration characteristics of flexible photovoltaic array

The cable supported photovoltaic array is prone to large-scale wind-induced vibration under strong wind weather, which affects the safety and use of the structure. At present, the characteristics of wind-induced vibration are not clear enough. In the present study, the effects of wind speed, wind direction angle and inclination angle on the displacement and cable-end force response of a single-layer cable supported flexible photovoltaic array were analyzed by wind tunnel test of a full aeroelastic model. The results show that the vertical vibration, torsional vibration and cable-end force all increase with the increase of the wind speed. The maximum mean and fluctuation values of the vertical displacement and the torsional displacement appear at different locations. The mean value of the vertical displacement is larger in the first row of the windward while the fluctuation value is the largest in the second row of windward. The mean and fluctuation values of the torsional displacement are the largest in the second and last rows. The wind-induced vibration of the cable supported photovoltaic array at 180° wind direction angle is more severe than that at 0° wind direction angle. When the wind direction angle is 0°, the tension of the windward cable is tighter than that of the leeward cable, and the variation range of the cable-end force is larger. When the wind direction angle is 180°, the vibration of the leeward cable is more severe, and the force response of the first row of the windward cable is larger. The cable-end force response of the windward cable and the leeward cable is significantly different under large inclination angles. When the inclination angle is 22.5°, the amplification coefficient is the largest in the first row of the windward cable, which is 1.30 at 0° wind direction angle and 1.22 at 180° wind direction angle. The vibrations of the vertical and torsional displacements have a strong correlation with the cable-end force. This paper provides a reference for the structural wind-resistant design and optimization of cable supported photovoltaic array.