Experimental Study on Tornado-Induced Wind Pressures on a Cubic Building with Openings
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 144, Issue 2
Abstract
Wind pressures acting on a cubic building with openings exposed to stationary tornadolike vortices were studied experimentally. The effects of opening ratio, single central opening azimuth, and radial distance between the building model and tornadolike vortex on external and internal wind pressure distributions were the focus of this study. Particular attention was paid to the difference between tornado-induced wind pressure coefficients and those obtained in conventional boundary-layer wind flow, American design code, and Chinese design code. The results indicate that the measured wind pressures on the model are due to the combined effects of pressure drop accompanying a tornado and flow-structure aerodynamic interaction. Both the opening ratio and large single opening azimuth influence the internal wind pressure and vertical wind force on roof structure. The low-rise building model experiences maximum wind forces when it is located at the tornado core radius. Additionally, owing to the high negative pressure drop accompanying a tornado, tornado-induced wind pressure coefficients exceed the provisions of American design code and Chinese design code by large factors.
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the Research Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering Grant No. SLDRCE14-A-01 and National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Grant No. 51478358. Additional supports were provided by Clemson University in the United States and the China Scholarship Council.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 144 • Issue 2 • February 2018
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 29, 2016
Accepted: Jul 19, 2017
Published online: Dec 4, 2017
Published in print: Feb 1, 2018
Discussion open until: May 4, 2018
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