The complex dynamics of vertically separated flows pose a significant challenge when it comes to assessing the wind loads on multi-level structures, demanding a nuanced understanding of the intricate interplay between atmospheric conditions and architectural designs. Previous studies and wind loading standards provide insufficient guidance for designing wind pressures on multi-level buildings. The behavior of wind around perpendicularly attached surfaces is not quite similar to that of individual flat roofs or walls. When a body is composed of several surfaces with right or oblique angles, the separated flow from surfaces and their interactions will cause complex flow patterns around each surface. A wind tunnel experimental study was carried out on bluff bodies with attached flat plates and other adjacent bluff bodies with different heights to examine the wind-induced pressures on such complex shapes. Mean and peak pressure coefficients were measured to determine the flow interaction patterns and location of localized peak pressures. The results were compared to the Tokyo Polytechnic University Aerodynamic Database of isolated low-rise buildings without eaves. The research findings indicated that there was a noteworthy disparity between the minimum and maximum values and locations of peak pressures on both the wall and roof surfaces of the models used in this study, as compared to the results obtained by the Tokyo Polytechnic University. Moreover, the study conceivably pointed to the difference between the peak negative and positive pressure coefficient locations with the ASCE 7-22 wind loading zones. The peak suction zones were affected by the combined flows at perpendicular faces, and as a result, different wind load zones were obtained dissimilar to those introduced by ASCE 7-22. Wind loading standards may need to be modified to account for the wind pressures on complex building structures with an emphasis on the location of the peak negative pressure zones.
Wind Effects on Dome Structures and Evaluation of CFD Simulations through Wind Tunnel Testing
In the study, a series of wind tunnel tests were conducted to investigate wind effects acting on dome structures (1/60 scale) induced by straight-line winds at a Reynolds number in the order of 106. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed as well, including a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulation, and their performances were validated by a comparison with the wind tunnel testing data. It is concluded that wind loads generally increase with upstream wind velocities, and they are reduced over suburban terrain due to ground friction. The maximum positive pressure normally occurs near the base of the dome on the windward side caused by the stagnation area and divergence of streamlines. The minimum suction pressure occurs at the apex of the dome because of the blockage of the dome and convergence of streamlines. Suction force is the most significant among all wind loads, and special attention should be paid to the roof design for proper wind resistance. Numerical simulations also indicate that LES results match better with the wind tunnel testing in terms of the distribution pattern of the mean pressure coefficient on the dome surface and total suction force. The mean and root-mean-square errors of the meridian pressure coefficient associated with the LES are about 60% less than those associated with RANS results, and the error of suction force is about 40–70% less. Moreover, the LES is more accurate in predicting the location of boundary layer separation and reproducing the complex flow field behind the dome, and is superior in simulating vortex structures around the dome to further understand the unsteadiness and dynamics in the flow field.
more » « less- Award ID(s):
- 2037899
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10484438
- Publisher / Repository:
- MDPI
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Sustainability
- Volume:
- 15
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 2071-1050
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 4635
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
more » « less
-
Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the full-scale axisymmetric nozzle of a Mach 8 wind tunnel are conducted with an emphasis on characterizing the properties of the pressure fluctua- tions induced by the turbulent boundary layer (TBL) along the nozzle wall. The axisymmetric nozzle geometry and the flow conditions of the DNS match those of the Sandia Hypersonic Wind Tunnel at Mach 8. The mean and turbulence statistics of the nozzle-wall boundary layer show good agreement with those predicted by Pate’s correlation and Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) computations. The wall-pressure intensity, power spectral density, and coherence predicted by DNS show good comparisons with those measured in the same tunnel. The Corcos model is found to deliver good prediction of wall pressure coherence over inter- mediate and high frequencies. The streamwise and spanwise decay constants at Mach 8 are similar to those predicted by DNS and experiments at lower supersonic Mach numbers.more » « less
-
ABSTRACT: This paper explores the use of cyber-physical systems (CPS) for optimal design in wind engineering. The approach combines the accuracy of physical wind tunnel testing with the ability to efficiently explore a solution space using numerical optimization algorithms. The approach is fully automated, with experiments executed in a boundary layer wind tunnel (BLWT), sensor feedback monitored by a high-performance computer, and actuators used to bring about physical changes in the BLWT. Because the model is undergoing physical change as it approaches the optimal solution, this approach is given the name “loop-in-the-model” testing. The building selected for this study is a low-rise structure with a parapet wall of variable height. Parapet walls alter the location of the roof corner vortices, alleviating large suction loads on the windward facing roof corner and edges and setting up an interesting optimal design problem. In the BLWT, the model parapet height is adjusted using servo-motors to achieve a particular design. The model surface is instrumented with pressure taps to measure the envelope pressure loading. The taps are densely spaced on the roof to provide sufficient resolution to capture the change in roof corner vortex formation. Experiments are conducted using a boundary BLWT located at the University of Florida Natural Hazard Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) Experimental Facility. The proposed CPS approach enables the optimal solution to be found quicker than brute force methods, in particular for complex structures with many design variables. The parapet wall provides a proof-of-concept study with a single design variable that has a non-monotonic influence on a structure’s wind load. This study focuses on envelope load effects, seeking the parapet height that minimizes roof and parapet wall suction loading. Implications are significant for more complex structures where the optimal solution may not be obvious and cannot be reasonably determined with traditional experimental or computational methods. KEYWORDS: Cyber-physical systems, optimization, boundary-layer wind tunnel, parapet wall, NHERImore » « less
-
A three-dimensional Eulerian two-phase flow solver, SedFoam, has been developed for various sediment transport applications. The solver has demonstrated success in modeling sheet flow and bedforms driven by oscillatory flows using a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) formulation. However, the accuracy of the RANS formulation for more complex flows, such as scour around structures, requires further evaluation. SedFoam has recently been enhanced to incorporate two-phase large-eddy simulation (LES) capability. In this study, RANS and LES approaches are tested via a three-dimensional case of wave-induced local scour around a single vertical circular pile. Two laboratory experiments, one with an erodible bed and the other with a rigid bed, were chosen for simulation, with both experiments having a Keulegan-Carpenter (KC) number of 10. The k-ω turbulence closure was selected for the RANS simulation, and the dynamic Lagrangian subgrid closure was chosen for the LES simulation. Numerical results reveal that both RANS and LES simulations can resolve lee-wake vortices, although the vortices are significantly weaker in the RANS simulation. In comparison with the LES results, the RANS approach fails to predict horseshoe vortex with sufficient intensity, leading to an underestimation of scour hole depth development. Although the scour depths develop at a very similar rate in the early stage, the scour depth predicted by the RANS simulation quickly reaches equilibrium, while the LES simulation follows the measured trend. These findings indicate that a turbulence-resolving methodology, i.e. LES, is necessary for accurate scour simulations.more » « less
-
This paper presents a quasi-steady technique that combines aerodynamic force coefficients from straight-line wind tunnel tests with empirically developed tornado wind speed profiles to estimate the time history of aerodynamic loads on lattice structures. The methodology is specifically useful for large and geometrically complex structures that could not be modeled with reasonable scales in the limited number of tornado simulation facilities across the world. For this purpose, the experimentally developed tornado wind speed profiles were extracted from a laboratory tornado wind field and aerodynamic force coefficients of different segments of a lattice tower structure were assessed for various wind directions in a wind tunnel. The proposed method was then used to calculate the wind forces in the time domain on the model lattice tower for different orientation angles with respect to the tornado’s mean path based on the empirical tornado wind speed profiles and the measured aerodynamic force coefficient of each tower segment, where the wind field at the tower location was updated at each time step as the tornado went past the tower. A tornado laboratory simulation test was conducted to measure the wind loads on a scaled model of a lattice tower subject to a translating tornado for the purpose of validation of the proposed method. The moving average of the horizontal wind force on the lattice tower model that was calculated with this method compared very well with that measured in a laboratory tornado simulator, which paves the way for the use of straight-line wind tunnels to assess tornado-induced loads on a lattice structure and possibly other similar structures.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054635
