An inflow turbulence generation method for large eddy simulation and its application on a standard high-rise building

Abstract

Generating an inflow turbulence satisfying the near-ground wind characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer is an important prerequisite to accurately predict the wind effects on buildings and structures using large eddy simulation (LES). An inflow turbulence generation method named as reusable wind tunnel replication method (RWTR) for LES is presented in this paper. The validation study is performed by numerical simulation of a real wind tunnel. And then the RWTR method is applied to a large eddy simulation to study the wind effects on a standard high-rise building, including the flow field characteristics, wind pressure and base bending moment. The advantages and limitations of the RWTR method are discussed by comparing of the calculated results with available wind tunnel measurements and previous numerical simulation results. Several suggestions are provided to improve the performances of this inflow turbulence generation method. The research results are helpful in the evaluation of wind effects on buildings using LES, for which the inflow turbulence matching the characteristics of near-ground turbulence can be conveniently generated based on the proposed method.