Numerical Prediction of Wind-induced Internal Pressure on a Model Low-rise Building in Nigeria
Keywords:
Internal Pressure, Low-rise building, Numerical Prediction, Wind incidence angle.Abstract
Wind normally induces both external and internal pressures on buildings which may cause great instability of structures. These induced pressures in turn contribute to the total wind load of the building. Appropriate prediction of this induced pressure can be found effective in the prevention of building failures. In this study, the prediction of wind-induced internal pressure on a model low-rise building in Nigeria was carried out by numerical analysis. The test was carried out on a computational model of a building using ANSYS FLUENT software. The Renormalization Group k-ε turbulence model was used to simulate wind impact on the building of size (2.78m x 2.43m x 2.30m) with a gable roof (slope 45°) at incident angles 90° and 45°. A comparative analysis was carried out to distinguish the effect of dominant openings and also the direction of the wind on the induced pressure. Results obtained from the tests were the values of pressure coefficients in the interior of the building which were used to characterize the induced internal pressure. Contours, tables and plots were used as graphical aids for the presentation of results. The inexpensive and less strenuous determination of wind induced pressure using computational fluid dynamics as portrayed in this work thus prove the effectiveness of numerical prediction as a precautionary method for the preliminary design of buildings.
Â
References
Ahmad S.; Muzzammil, M. & Zaheer, I. (2011): ‘Numerical prediction of wind loads on low buildings’ International Journal of Engineering, Science and Technology, 3 (5), 59-72
Amin, J.A. & Ahuja, A.K. (2011): ‘Experimental study of wind-induced pressures on buildings of various geometries’. International Journal of Engineering, Science and Technology 3 (5), 1-19
ASCE (2003): ‘Minimum design loads for buildings and other structures’. Issue 2 by American Society of Civil Engineers
Castelli, M.R., Toniato, S. and Benini, E. (2012): ‘Numerical simulation of the aerodynamic loads acting on top of the SMART centre for PV applications’ World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 63.
Cóstola D., Blocken B. & Hensen J.L.M. (2009) ‘Overview of pressure coefficient data in building energy simulation and airflow network programs’. Building and Environment. In press. Building Physics and Systems. Eindhoven, the Netherlands: Eindhoven University of Technology.
Endo, M. (2011). ‘Wind tunnel modeling and analysis of wind effects on low-rise buildings’. Unpublished Dissertation for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
FLUENT (2010). ‘A brief history of Fluent’. Retrieved from <http://www.fluent.com/about/history.htm>, 5th February, 2010
Guha, T.K.; Sharma, R.N. & Richards, P.J. (2009): ‘The effect of background leakage on wind induced internal pressure fluctuations in a low rise building with a dominant opening. Proceedings of 11th Americas Conference on Wind Engineering, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Guha, T.K.; Sharma, R.N. & Richards, P.J. (2011): ‘Influence factors for wind induced internal pressure in a low rise building with a dominant opening’. Journal of Wind and Engineering, 8 (2), 1-17.
Holmes, J.D. & Ginger, J.D. (2012): ‘Internal pressures – The dominant windward opening case – A review’. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 100: 70 –76
Holmes, J.D. (1978) ‘Mean and fluctuating internal pressures induced by wind’. Wind Engineering Report 5/78. Queensland, England: James Cook University of North Queensland.
Joseph, E. & Minor, P.E. (1977): ‘Performance of roofing systems in wind storms’. Proceedings of NRCA/NBS Symposium on Roofing Technology, USA, Paper number 17.
Meroney, R.N.; Neff, D.E. & Birdsall, J.B. (1995): ‘Wind-tunnel simulation of infiltration across permeable building envelopes: Energy and air pollution exchange rates’. Proceedings of 7th International Symposium on Measurememt and Modeling of Environmental Flows, International Mechanical Engineering Conference.
National Building Code of Canada (2005): User's Guide - NBC 2005 Structural Commentaries (Part 4 of Division 8). National Building Code of Canada
Ramponi, R. & Blocken, B. (2012): ‘CFD simulation of cross-ventilation for a generic isolatedbuilding: impact of computational parameters’. Building and Environment 53: 34-48.
Sharma, R.N. (2009): ‘Wind Induced Internal Pressure in Buildings’. Structural/Wind Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series. Florida, U.S.A.: Florida International University
Shiau B. & Chang, H. (2008): ‘Measurements on the surface wind pressure characteristics of two square buildings under different wind attack angles and building gaps’. Taipei, Taiwan: Institute of Physics Academia Sinica
Smith, T. (2010): ‘Wind safety of the building envelope’. Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG).
Tecle, A.S., Jiru, T.E. & Bitsuamlak, G.T (2010): “Computational evaluation and validation of internal and external pressure for low-rise buildingâ€. Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on Computational Wind Engineering, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Tieleman, H.W. (2003): ‘Wind tunnel simulation of wind loading on low-rise structures: a review’. Journal of Wind Engineering &. Industrial Aerodynamics, 91, 1627-1649.
Weather Spark (2013): Average weather for Ikeja, Nigeria. Retreived from: <http://weatherspark.com/averages/28568/Ikeja-Lagos-Nigeria>, 10th February, 2013.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
- Papers must be submitted on the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis) and are not currently under consideration by another journal published by any other publisher.
- It is also the authors responsibility to ensure that the articles emanating from a particular source are submitted with the necessary approval.
- The authors warrant that the paper is original and that he/she is the author of the paper, except for material that is clearly identified as to its original source, with permission notices from the copyright owners where required.
- The authors ensure that all the references carefully and they are accurate in the text as well as in the list of references (and vice versa).
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
- The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author.