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A Brief Review of Wind Effects on Buildings and Structures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

C. Scruton
C. Scruton*
Affiliation:
Aerodynamics Division, National Physical Laboratory
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Summary

Present day structural forms and methods of fabrication have considerably increased the importance of wind as a design consideration. For estimations of the overall stability of a structure and of the local pressure distribution on the cladding, a knowledge of the maximum steady or time-averaged wind loads is usually sufficient. Mind tunnel tests to determine the wind loading coefficients are often made in smooth uniform flow, but for more accurate data account must be taken of the effects of the vertical gradient of wind speed and the turbulence of natural winds. Further research is needed into these effects and also into methods of obtaining a sufficient representation of the natural wind in the wind tunnel.

There are a number of ways by which wind excites structures into oscillation; among these are vortex excitation, galloping, proximity effects including buffeting, stalling flutter and classical flutter. The vortex and galloping excitation might be expected to be especially sensitive to the turbulence properties of the air flow. Also, in the absence of any mechanism for instability, atmospheric turbulence may directly excite oscillations through the random forcing by the pressure fluctuations which it produces. Further understanding of this problem must come through research into the effects of turbulence (and to the extent to which these effects may be disregarded), but the range of the conditions is so vast and complicated that it seems unlikely that sufficient aerodynamic and wind data will be accumulated to permit the response of a proposed structure to be calculated with reasonable certainty, and for major projects it is anticipated that comprehensive tests on aeroelastic models in wind tunnels with appropriate turbulent air flow will continue to offer the more reliable predictions.

The air flow around buildings is of concern inasmuch as it influences the dispersal of combustion and other gases from the smokestack and also in its effect on the speeds and turbulence of the wind over areas used by pedestrians. The erection of a tall building may cause an increase in wind speeds and gustiness at ground level. These problems of the external flow over buildings are readily examined in wind tunnels. For this purpose tunnels with large working sections are desirable to permit a sufficiently wide area of the neighbourhood to be represented.

Type
Industrial Aerodynamics
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 70 , Issue 665 , May 1966 , pp. 553 - 560
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 1966

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References

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