• Wind and Structures
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.469-488
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• 2015

A full-scale instrumented low-rise building with gable roof was built at a coastal site with a high incidence of tropical cyclones for monitoring of wind effects on the building during windstorms. This paper presents the field measurements of the wind velocity field around and the wind-induced pressures on the low-rise building during the passage of severe tropical storm Soudelor. Near-ground wind characteristics such as wind speed, wind direction, turbulence intensity, gust factor, turbulence integral length scale and wind velocity spectra were investigated. The wind-induced pressures on the roof of the building were analyzed and discussed. The results revealed that the eave and ridge edges on the roof were subjected to the most severe suction pressures under quartering winds. These suction pressures showed obvious non-Gaussian behavior. The measured results were compared with the provisions of ASCE 7-10 to assess the suitability of the code of practice for the wind-resistant design of low-rise buildings under tropical cyclones. The field study aims to provide useful information that can enhance our understanding of the extreme wind effects on low-rise buildings in an effort to reduce tropical cyclone wind damages to residential buildings.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.04b
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• pp.667-672
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• 2000

The Characteristics of the conical vortices on the roof surface of a low-rise building has been investigated by using a PIV(Particle Image Velocimerty) technique. The scaled model of TTU building with 1:92 scaling ratio was used. The Reynolds number based on the free stream velocity and the length of the model was $1.96{\times}10^5$. When the angle of attack for the building model is $45^{\circ}$, the conical vortices are occurred symmetrically and the center of vortices are changed with respect to the angle of the approaching flow. The rotating direction of the conical vortices found to be counter-rotating. The secondary vortex motions are investigated using the instantaneous flow field data.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-23
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• 2015

Wind tunnel testing of a low-rise building with openings (holes) of different sizes and shapes on a roof corner is conducted to measure the internal and external pressures from the building model. Detailed analysis of the testing data is carried out to investigate the characteristics of the internal and external pressures of the building with different openings' configurations. Superimposition of the internal and external pressures makes the emergence of positive net pressures on the roof. The internal pressures demonstrate an overall uniform distribution. The probability density function (PDF) of the internal pressures is close to the Gaussian distribution. Compared with the PDF of the external pressures, the non-Gaussian characteristics of the net pressures weakened. The internal pressures exhibit strong correlation in frequency domain. There appear two humps in the spectra of the internal pressures, which correspond to the Helmholtz frequency and vortex shedding frequency, respectively. But, the peak for the vortex shedding frequency is offset for the net pressures. Furthermore, the internal pressure characteristics indirectly reflect that the length of the front edge enhances the development of the conical vortices.The objective of this study aims to further understanding of the characteristics of internal, external and net pressures for low-rise buildings in an effort to reduce wind damages to residential buildings.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.493-514
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• 2002

Seven hip roof building models for $10^{\circ}$, $15^{\circ}$, $20^{\circ}$, $25^{\circ}$, $30^{\circ}$, $35^{\circ}$ and $40^{\circ}$ roof pitch with large overhangs of 1.1 m were tested in a wind tunnel at the university of Roorkee, India to investigate wind pressure distributions over hip roofs for various roof pitch and wind direction. The results show that the roof pitch and wind direction do significantly affect the magnitude and distribution of the roof pressures. The $40^{\circ}$ roof pitch has been found to experience the highest peak suctions at the roof corners amongst the seven hip roofs tested. Pressures on $15^{\circ}$, $20^{\circ}$ and $30^{\circ}$ hip roofs are comparable with those reported by Xu and Reardon (1998). Meecham et al. (1991) for $18.4^{\circ}$ hip roof is compatible with $15^{\circ}$ hip roof of the present study. Holmes's works (1994) on gable roof have also been compared with the present work. Zoning for codification has also been attempted since IS875 (Part-3) does not include this information. A comparison for design value has also been made with BRE Report No. 346.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.403-418
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• 2003

This paper presents an extensive analysis of the short term, unsteady wind loading on a low-rise building. The building is located in a rural environment and only the specific situation of wind flow orthogonal to the long face of the structure is considered. The data is analysed using conventional analysis and less traditional methods such as conditional sampling and wavelet analysis. The nature of the flow field over the building is found to be highly unsteady and complex. Fluctuating pressures on the windward wall are shown to a large extent to be caused by the fluctuations in the upstream flow, whereas extreme pressures on the roof are as a result of high intensity small scale flow structures. On the roof of the building a significant amount of energy is shown to exist at frequencies above 1 Hz.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.279-298
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• 2001

The greatest suction on the cladding of flat roof low-rise buildings is known to occur beneath the conical vortices that form along the roof edges for cornering winds. In a companion paper, a model of the vortex flow mechanism has been developed which can be used to connect the surface pressure beneath the vortex to adjacent flow conditions. The flow model is experimentally validated in this paper using simultaneous velocity and surface pressure measurement on a 1 : 50 model of the Texas Tech University experimental building in a wind tunnel simulated atmospheric boundary layer. Flow visualization gives further insight into the nature of peak suction events. The flow model is shown to account for the increase in suction towards the roof corner as well as the presence of the highest suction at wind angles of $60^{\circ}$. It includes a parameter describing vortex suction strength, which is shown to be related to the nature of the reattachment, and also suggests how different components of upstream turbulence could influence the surface pressure.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.203-223
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• 1998

This paper describes in detail the features of an extensive study on Spectral Density Functions (SDF's) of wind pressures acting on several low building roof geometries carried out in a boundary layer wind tunnel. Various spectral characteristics of wind pressures on roofs with emphasis on derivation of suitable analytical representation of spectra and determination of characteristic spectral shapes are shown. Standard spectral shapes associated with various zones of each roof and their parameters are provided. The established spectral parameters can be used to generate synthetic spectra adequate for the simulation of wind pressure fluctuations on building surfaces in a generic fashion.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.623-647
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• 2014

In this paper, a probability distribution which is consistent with the observed phenomenon at the roof corner and, also on other portions of the roof, of a low-rise building is proposed. The model is consistent with the choice of probability density function suggested by the statistical thermodynamics of open systems and turbulence modelling in fluid mechanics. After presenting the justification based on physical phenomenon and based on statistical arguments, the fit of alpha-stable distribution for prediction of extreme negative wind pressure coefficients is explored. The predictions are compared with those actually observed during wind tunnel experiments (using wind tunnel experimental data obtained from the aerodynamic database of Tokyo Polytechnic University), and those predicted by using Gumbel minimum and Hermite polynomial model. The predictions are also compared with those estimated using a recently proposed non-parametric model in regions where stability criterion (in skewness-kurtosis space) is satisfied. From the comparisons, it is noted that the proposed model can be used to estimate the extreme peak negative wind pressure coefficients. The model has an advantage that it is consistent with the physical processes proposed in the literature for explaining large fluctuations at the roof corners.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.91-106
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• 2003

The paper presents the results of 1:50 geometrical scale laboratory modeling of wind-induced point pressure on the roof of the Texas Tech University (TTU) test building. The nominal (prevalent at the TTU site) wind and two bounding (low and high turbulence) flows were simulated in a boundary-layer wind tunnel at Colorado State University. The results showed significant increase in the pressure peak and standard deviation with an increase in the flow turbulence. It was concluded that the roof mid-plane pressure sensitivity to the turbulence intensity was the cause of the previously reported field-laboratory mismatch of the fluctuating pressure, for wind normal and $30^{\circ}$-off normal to the building ridge. In addition, it was concluded that the cornering wind mismatch in the roof corner/edge regions could not be solely attributed to the wind-azimuth-independent discrepancy between the turbulence intensity of the approach field and laboratory flows.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.227-246
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• 2001

The objective of this study is to understand the flow above the front edge of low-rise building roofs. The greatest suction on the building is known to occur at this location as a result of the formation of conical vortices in the separated flow zone. It is expected that the relationship between this suction and upstream flow conditions can be better understood through the analysis of the vortex flow mechanism. Experimental measurements were used, along with predictions from numerical simulations of delta wing vortex flows, to develop a model of the pressure field within and beneath the conical vortex. The model accounts for the change in vortex suction with wind angle, and includes a parameter indicating the strength of the vortex. The model can be applied to both mean and time dependent surface pressures, and is validated in a companion paper.