Numerical modelling of the interaction between oat plants and realistic wind loading

摘要

Wind is a major factor contributing to economic losses in oat production. Aiming to provide a deeper understanding of the dynamic behaviours of oat plants under wind conditions, this thesis gives an insight into the factors that affect oat plant damage. The effect of the natural wind field is simulated using the Weighted Amplitude Wave Superposition WAWS method, and two oat plant models corresponding to two growth stages are constructed using a Finite Element technique. The response of the oat plants with wind is examined. It is found that variations in the drag coefficient, the projected area, the plant height and the section radius of an oat plant produce a large change in the movement of an oat plant. When the mean wind speed is less than 6m/s, the relationship between the square of the wind speed and the response of an isolated oat plant is approximately linear. However, when the mean wind speed is higher than 6m/s, the influence of the geometric non-linearity of the oat plants is significant.