An analysis of drag forces based on L-moments

Since L-moment estimators are linear functions of the ordered data values, they are virtually unbiased and have relatively small sampling variance, especially in comparison to the classical coefficients of skewness and kurtosis. Moreover, estimators of L-moments are relatively insensitive to outliers. Liaw and Zheng (2004) calculated drag forces on cylinders by polynomial approximations in which the coefficients are estimated by least-squares and moment methods. In this paper, the coefficients will be estimated with L-Moment methods. Its advantages will shown to be that: (i) an L-Moments approach leads to a linear solution of the polynomialisation of drag forces and (ii) other distribution types for the turbulent current and wave heights acting on the cylinder can be analysed fairly simple.