Experimental investigation on influence of terrain complexity for wind pressure of low-rise building

Abstract

This study conducted extensive wind tunnel tests to evaluate the impact of terrain complexity on wind pressure across low-rise buildings. A series of wind tunnel tests was performed using 50 actual terrain morphologies in the US. The findings were compared with results obtained from testing on homogeneous terrain to discern variations in pressure coefficients. A notable increase in turbulence intensity was observed in complex heterogeneous terrains, even with similar effective roughness lengths. The heightened turbulence property was a crucial factor in explaining changes in Cp,mean. The magnitude of Cp,mean demonstrated a continuous rise in the windward wall and roof 1 regions with increasing turbulence intensity. This correlation held true even for Iu,eave values surpassing 0.3. In contrast, while Cp,RMS exhibited a tendency to increase with rising Iu,eave, it did not exhibit the same continuous increase phenomenon. Consequently, no significant disparity in magnitude was noted between homogeneous and heterogeneous terrains in this regard. These findings underscore the importance of accounting for terrain complexity in wind load assessments, particularly in scenarios of heightened terrain diversity, to mitigate potential errors in wind load evaluations.