Influence of Structural Design on the Aeroelastic Stability of Brancusi’s Endless Column

Abstract

Brancusi’s Endless Column (Târgu-Jiu, Romania) is an interesting case study in bluff body aeroelasticity. It has been referred to as aeroelastically indifferent owing to its remarkable aeroelastic stability. This stability has been attributed to its unconventional shape. Calculations are presented which show that this strictly aerodynamic view of the column behavior is incomplete, and that the structural dynamics characteristics of the column have a powerful role in ensuring its aeroelastic stability. The calculations show that the column’s design, which provided for significant damping and mass, would assure its aeroelastic stability even if the column had a conventional and aeroelastically less favorable shape, i.e., if it were a circular cylinder (a shape that is unfavorable from the point of view of vortex-induced response) or a square cylinder (a shape that is unfavorable from the point of view of galloping).