• Wind and Structures
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.299-315
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• 2013

Numerical research on four typical configurations of noise mitigation structures and their characteristics of wind loads are reported in this paper. The turbulence model as well the model parameters, the modeling of the equilibrium atmospheric boundary layer, the mesh discretization etc., were carefully considered in the numerical model to improve the numerical accuracy. Also a numerical validation of one configuration with the wind tunnel test data was made. Through detailed analyses of the wind load characteristics with the inclined part and the wind incidence angle, it was found that the addition of an inclined part to a noise mitigation structure at-grade would affect the mean nett pressure coefficients on the vertical part, and that the extent of this effect depends on the length of the inclined part itself. The magnitudes of the mean nett pressure coefficients for both the vertical part and the inclined part of noise mitigation structure at-grade tended to increase with length of inclined part. Finally, a comparison with the wind load code British/European Standard BS EN 1991-1-4:2005 was made and the envelope of the mean nett pressure coefficients of the noise mitigation structures was given for design purposes. The current research should be helpful to improve current wind codes by providing more reasonable wind pressure coefficients for different configurations of noise mitigation structures.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.505-521
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• 2016

The objective of this study is to investigate numerically the effect of building roof shaps on wind flow and pollutant dispersion in a street canyon with one row of trees of pore volume, $P_{vol}=96%$. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is used to evaluate air flow and pollutant dispersion within an urban street canyon using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and the Explicit Algebraic Reynolds Stress Models (EARSM) based on k-${\varepsilon}$ turbulence model to close the equation system. The numerical model is performed with ANSYS-CFX code. Vehicle emissions were simulated as double line sources along the street. The numerical model was validated by the wind tunnel experiment results. Having established this, the wind flow and pollutant dispersion in urban street canyons (with six roof shapes buildings) are simulated. The numerical simulation results agree reasonably with the wind tunnel data. The results obtained in this work, indicate that the flow in 3D domain is more complicated; this complexity is increased with the presence of trees and variability of the roof shapes. The results also indicated that the largest pollutant concentration level for two walls (leeward and windward wall) is observed with the upwind wedge-shaped roof. But the smallest pollutant concentration level is observed with the dome roof-shaped.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.163-184
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• 2013

An accurate identification of the aerodynamic characteristics of vehicles and the bridge is the premise for the coupled vibration analysis of a wind-vehicle-bridge system. At present, the interaction of aerodynamic forces between the road vehicles and bridge is ignored in most previous studies. In the present study, an experimental setup was developed to measure the aerodynamic characteristics of vehicles and the bridge for different cases in a wind tunnel considering the aerodynamic interference. The influence of the wind turbulence, the wind speed, the vehicle interference, and the vehicle position on the aerodynamic coefficients of vehicles, and the influence of vehicles on the static coefficients of the bridge were investigated, based on the experimental results. The variations in the aerodynamic characteristics of vehicles and the bridge were studied and the measured results were validated according to the results of surface pressure measurements on the vehicle and the bridge. The measured results were further validated by comparing the measured results with values derived numerically. The measured results showed that the wind turbulence, the vehicle interference, and the vehicle position significantly affected the aerodynamic coefficients of vehicles. However, the influence of the wind speed on the aerodynamic coefficients of the studied vehicle is small. The static coefficients of the bridge were also significantly influenced by the presence of vehicles.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.5 no.2_3_4
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• pp.209-226
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• 2002

When predicting unsteady flow and pressure fields around a structure in a turbulent boundary layer by Large Eddy Simulation (LES), velocity fluctuations of turbulence (inflow turbulence), which reproduce statistical characteristics of the turbulent boundary layer, must be given at the inflow boundary. However, research has just started on development of a method for generating inflow turbulence that satisfies the prescribed turbulence statistics, and many issues still remain to be resolved. In our previous study, we proposed a method for generating inflow turbulence and confirmed its applicability by LES of an isotropic turbulence. In this study, the generation method was applied to a turbulent boundary layer developed over a flat plate, and the reproducibility of turbulence statistics predicted by LES computation was examined. Statistical characteristics of a turbulent boundary layer developed over a flat plate were investigated by a wind tunnel test for modeling the cross-spectral density matrix for use as targets of inflow turbulence generation for LES computation. Furthermore, we investigated how the degree of correspondence of the cross-spectral density matrix of the generated inflow turbulence with the target cross-spectral density matrix estimated by the wind tunnel test influenced the LES results for the turbulent boundary layer. The results of this study confirmed that the reproduction of cross-spectra of the normal components of the inflow turbulence generation is very important in reproducing power spectra, spatial correlation and turbulence statistics of wind velocity in LES.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.145-156
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• 2022

Application examples of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in the planning stage of high-rise buildings are introduced. First, we introduce examples of applications in the environmental field. The pedestrian wind environment was one of the earliest practical examples of CFD. CFD was also employed to validate the heat island mitigation measures proposed as part of the new construction plan. Second, application examples of wind-force evaluations are introduced. Prediction examples are presented for the peak wind pressure around a complex-shaped building and the wind force evaluation for a base-isolated building. The results prove that the results of the proper execution of CFD are equivalent to those of the wind tunnel experiment. As examples of CFD applications of other issues related to high-rise building planning, we introduce snow accretion on outer walls and high-temperature exhaust from emergency generators. Finally, the future prospects for the use of CFD are discussed.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.305-315
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• 2018

A numerical study based on a delayed detached eddy simulation (DDES) is conducted to investigate the aerodynamic mechanism behind the suppression of vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs) of twin box girders by central grids, which have an inhibition effect on VIVs, as evidenced by the results of section model wind tunnel tests. The mean aerodynamic force coefficients with different attack angles are compared with experimental results to validate the numerical method. Next, the flow structures around the deck and the aerodynamic forces on the deck are analyzed to enhance the understanding of the occurrence of VIVs and the suppression of VIVs by the application of central grids. The results show that shear layers are separated from the upper railings and lower overhaul track of the upstream girder and induce large-scale vortices in the gap that cause periodical lift forces of large amplitude acting on the downstream girder, resulting in VIVs of the bridge deck. However, the VIVs are apparently suppressed by the central grids because the vortices in the central gap are reduced into smaller vortices and become weaker, causing slightly fluctuating lift forces on the deck. In addition, the mean lift force on the deck is mainly caused by the upstream girder, whereas the fluctuating lift force is mainly caused by the downstream girder.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.535-535
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• 1989

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.76 no.2
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• pp.269-278
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• 2020

In this paper, the mechanical characteristics of the open type hyperbolic-parabolic membrane structure under wind load were investigated. First, the numerical simulation of a typical plane membrane structure was performed based on the Large-Eddy Simulation method. The accuracy of the simulation method was validated by the corresponding wind tunnel test results. Then, the wind load shape coefficients of open type hyperbolic-parabolic membrane structures are obtained from the series of numerical calculations and compared with the recommended values in the "Technical Specification for Membrane Structures (CECS 158: 2015). Finally, the influences of the wind directions and wind speeds on the mean wind pressure distribution of open type hyperbolic-parabolic membrane structures were investigated. This study aims to gain a better understanding of the wind-induced response for this type of structure and be useful to engineers and researchers.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.207-222
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• 2024

This paper presents a numerical simulation method for snow drift that takes into account the cohesion effect of snow particles. The critical state of free collapse accumulation of idealized snow particles is used to indirectly infer the effect of interparticle interactions on snow transport and re-accumulation. With the help of the Hertz-Mindlin with JKR cohesion contact model, the particle angle of repose is calibrated with a number of contact parameters through numerical experiment. The surface energy for a given property of snow particles is determined using the observed snow angle of repose, and a continuous-discrete snow drift two-way coupled numerical model incorporating these optimized contact parameters is developed. The snow redistribution pattern on a stepped flat roof structure is simulated, and the results are found to be consistent with those of the field measured in terms of phenomena and general laws, verifying the achievability and effectiveness of the presented method. To eliminate the influence of environmental conditions, wind tunnel tests are also conducted, and it is found that the reconstructed depth and reaccumulated angle of snowdrift resulting from the numerical simulation are in closer agreement with the experimental results, further confirming the enhancement achieved by introducing the contact effect.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.75-87
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• 2018

A large number of low-rise buildings experienced serious roof covering failures under strong wind while few suffered structural damage. Clay and concrete tiles are two main kinds of roof covering. For the tile roof system, few researches were carried out based on Finite Element (FE) analysis due to the difficulty in the simulation of the interface between the tiles and the roof sheathing (the bonding materials, foam or mortar). In this paper, the FE analysis of a single clay or concrete tile with foam-set or mortar-set were built with the interface simulated by the equivalent nonlinear springs based on the mechanical uplift and displacement tests, and they were expanded into the whole roof. A detailed wind tunnel test was carried out at Tongji University to acquire the wind loads on these two kinds of roof tiles, and then the test data were fed into the FE analysis. For the purpose of validation and calibration, the results of FE analysis were compared with the full-scale performance ofthe tile roofs under simulated strong wind impact through one-of-a-kind Wall of Wind (WoW) apparatus at Florida International University. The results are consistent with the WoW test that the roof of concrete tiles with mortar-set provided the highest resistance, and the material defects or improper construction practices are the key factors to induce the roof tiles' failure. Meanwhile, the staggered setting of concrete tiles would help develop an interlocking mechanism between the tiles and increase their resistance.