AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF WIND EFFECTS ON LOW-RISE BUILDINGS

Abstract

Because of the adverse wind effects on structures, the structures should be designed considering the wind loads. Experiments in wind tunnels seem to be the only alternative to estimate the wind effects on a low-rise building or any other civil engineering structures. The work which is being presented concerns the measurements of wind pressures - external and internal on three models of a low-rise building with roof pitch of 22.5°. The openings in the model are 20% in two different orientations. One of the models is without any openings. Pressures have been measured by placing the model in a boundary layer wind tunnel for five different wind directions. One of the conclusions of this study is that both wind direction: as well as openings-including their placings - affect the value of wind pressures considerably.' A significant influence of the flow pattern developed around the low-rise building, upon the pressure distribution has been noticed in the present study. The wind direction other than normal or parallel to the ridge (for which directions codal values are mentioned) has been the most critical in many cases of the present study.