In this thesis, two dimensional, incompressible, viscous flow past bluff bodies and a bridge section, in which strong vortex shedding and unsteady attribute of flow are generally found, is simulated by means of random vortex method. The algorithm and method are described in detail. The validation and applicability of the developed numerical implementation to general wind engineering problems is illustrated by solving a number of classical problems, such as flow past circular and square cylinders. An application of the numerical implementation in the area of computational wind engineering is performed by analyzing a bridge deck section. Moreover, all results are compared with experimental and numerical studies in literature.

The aerodynamics of two-dimensional and three-dimensional flapping motion in hover is analyzed in incompressible, laminar flow at low Reynolds number regime. The aim of this study is to understand the physics and the underlying mechanisms of the flapping motion using both numerical tools (Direct Numerical Simulation) and experimental tools (Particle Image Velocimetry PIV technique). Numerical analyses cover both two-dimensional and three-dimensional configurations for different parameters using two different flow solvers. The obtained results are then analyzed in terms of aerodynamic force coefficients and vortex dynamics. Both symmetric and cambered airfoil sections are investigated at different starting angle of attacks. Both numerical and experimental simulations are carried out at Reynolds number 1000. The experimental analysis is carried out using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique in parallel with the numerical tools. Experimental measurements are taken for both two-dimensional and three-dimensional wing configurations using stereoscopic PIV technique.