Flow Around a High-Rise Building Model in Tornado-Like Winds

Abstract

An experimental study was conducted to quantify the characteristics of flow structures around on a high-rise building model and resultant wind loads (both forces and moments) in tornado-like winds. In addition to measuring wind loads (both forces and moments) acting on the tested high-rise building model using a high-sensitivity load cell, a Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system was used to conduct detailed flow field measurements to reveal the evolution of the unsteady vortex and turbulent flow structures around the test model in tornado-like wind. The measurement results revealed clearly that the evolution of the wake vortex and turbulent flow structures around the test model as well as the resultant wind loads induced by tornado-like wind were significantly different from those in conventional straight-line wind. The detailed flow field measurements were correlated with the wind load measurement data to elucidate the underlying physics to gain insight into the flow-structure interactions between the tested high-rise building model and tornado-like vortex in order to provide more accurate prediction of wind damage potential to built environment with the ultimate goal of reducing life loss, injury casualty, and economic loss that results from tornados.