Static and Dynamic Response Analysis of Flexible Photovoltaic Mounts

Abstract

Traditional rigid photovoltaic (PV) support structures exhibit several limitations during operational deployment. Therefore, flexible PV mounting systems have been developed. These flexible PV supports, characterized by their heightened sensitivity to wind loading, necessitate a thorough analysis of their static and dynamic responses. This study involves the development of a MATLAB code to simulate the fluctuating wind load time series and the subsequent structural modeling in SAP2000 to evaluate the safety performance of flexible PV supports under extreme wind conditions. The research explores the critical wind speeds relative to varying spans and prestress levels within the system. Modal analysis reveals that the flexible PV support structures do not experience resonant frequencies that could amplify oscillations. The analysis also provides insights into the mode shapes of these structures. An analysis of the wind-induced vibration responses of the flexible PV support structures was conducted. The results indicated that the mid-span displacements and the axial forces in the wind-resistant cables are greater under wind-pressure conditions compared to wind-suction conditions. Conversely, for mid-span accelerations, the wind-suction conditions resulted in higher values than the wind-pressure conditions. Furthermore, the wind-induced vibration coefficients were computed, with findings suggesting a recommended coefficient range of 1.5 to 2.52. To mitigate wind-induced vibrations, structural reinforcement strategies were assessed. The results indicate that the introduction of support beams at the mid-span is the most effective measure to attenuate wind-induced vibrational responses. Conversely, increasing the diameter of the tensioned cables exhibited a negligible effect in reducing these responses. On the other hand, implementing stabilizing cables at the mid-span demonstrated a substantial reduction in wind-induced vibrational responses under suction wind-load conditions.