LBM-IBM simulation of aeolian vibration of a stranded overhead conductor with resolved cross-sectional geometry

Xiaoyu Luo
Electric Power Research Institute of Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510080, China
Yunfeng Zou
School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Ming Nie
Electric Power Research Institute of Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510080, China
Ganyu Wang
Electric Power Research Institute of Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510080, China
Yongchun Liang
Electric Power Research Institute of Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510080, China
Zejia Yang
School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China

Article ID: 4449

Keywords: overhead conductor, aeolian vibration, fluid-structure interaction, lattice Boltzmann method, immersed boundary method, stranded cross-section, vortex-induced vibration

Abstract

The outer surface of overhead transmission conductors is formed by wound aluminium strands, exhibiting a corrugated geometric profile. However, aerodynamic analyses typically simplify this geometry to a smooth cylinder. How this simplification influences the fluid-structure coupled vortex-induced vibration response remains unclear. This paper addresses this research gap through comparative numerical simulations between a geometrically refined stranded conductor and an equivalent smooth cylinder with identical outer diameter. A two-dimensional lattice Boltzmann–immersed boundary method (LBM-IBM) computational framework was developed on a fixed Cartesian grid and coupled with a Newmark-β transverse oscillator. Reduced-velocity sweeps and supplementary high-resolution flow-field cases were conducted under fully matched structural and fluid parameters. Results show that the smooth cylinder exhibits a narrow classical lock-in region with rapid amplitude decay beyond the peak. In contrast, the stranded conductor sustains large-amplitude vibrations over a considerably wider velocity range, accompanied by a substantial increase in time-averaged drag. Vorticity and phase analyses indicate that strand grooves function as local flow separation promoters, altering the lift-velocity phase relationship and maintaining positive aerodynamic energy input beyond the desynchronization boundary of the smooth cylinder. The findings confirm that strand-scale surface features significantly broaden the lock-in range, a conclusion that merits incorporation into high-fidelity aerodynamic models to improve conductor response prediction accuracy.

Published

2026-07-27

How to Cite

Luo, X., Zou, Y., Nie, M., Wang, G., Liang, Y., & Yang, Z. (2026). LBM-IBM simulation of aeolian vibration of a stranded overhead conductor with resolved cross-sectional geometry. Sound & Vibration, 60(5). https://doi.org/10.59400/sv4449

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Vol. 60 No. 5 (2026): In Progress

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Article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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