Experimental investigation of wind impact on low-rise elevated residences

Abstract

The vulnerability of low-rise residential buildings to extreme wind events, such as hurricanes, is an escalating concern due to the frequent failures and losses. Elevated low-rise structures are constructed to reduce the hydrodynamic load from surges and flooding during hurricanes. However, due to the current lack of information, wind loading on elevated coastal structures is not adequately addressed in current international guidelines. To address this knowledge gap, large-scale experimental studies were conducted to precisely determine wind effects on elevated houses with different numbers of stories and varying stilt heights. In this study, comparisons are presented on various tested configurations to show the effect of elevating residential houses on the resulting wind loads. In particular, this work investigates the peak pressure coefficients and wind forces on the building roof, walls, and floor underside. The experimental program was supplemented by numerical simulations using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to assess the airflow around the model and the role of the air gap underneath the floor on altering the aerodynamics. Local peak pressure patterns and wind loads for structural design were analyzed with a view to the development of building code provisions. The recommended external pressure coefficients for the exterior floor surface are compared to those for a flat roof surface of a low-rise building.