Experiments in a Large Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel: Upstream Terrain Effects on Surface Pressures Acting on a Low-Rise Structure
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 8
Abstract
An extensive series of experiments in a large boundary layer wind tunnel (BLWT) was carried out at the University of Florida (UF) Natural Hazard Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) Experimental Facility to investigate the effects of upwind terrain on surface pressures acting on a generic low-rise structure. Three scaled models of the Wind Engineering Research Field Laboratory (WERFL) building were subjected to 33 boundary layer flows through precise control of an automated roughness grid called the Terraformer. The roughness configuration of the Terraformer was adjusted to simulate a variety of upwind terrains ranging from marine to dense suburban. Surface pressures were obtained for the three models (1:20, 1:30, and 1:50), three wind directions (0°, 45°, and 90°), 16 roughness element heights, and two element orientations (wide and narrow edge windward). The complete dataset is publicly available on the NHERI DesignSafe cyberinfrastructure (CI) web-based research platform. The experimental data records can be reused to study the effects of upstream terrain on the aerodynamic loading acting on low-rise structures. Further, the inclusion of different model sizes enables investigation of scaling effects in the BLWT. The DOI for the dataset is 10.17603/DS2W670.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to recognize the Powell Structures and Materials Laboratory staff at UF’s NHERI experimental facility, with special thanks to Jon Sinnreich, Steve Schein, Eric Agostinelli, Kevin Stultz, and Shelby Brothers for their contribution in experimental testing. Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation CAREER program (CMMI-1055744) with additional support for experimentation through the NSF NHERI (CMMI-1520843). Any opinions or discussions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors, partners and contributors.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 8 • August 2020
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 9, 2019
Accepted: Feb 4, 2020
Published online: May 21, 2020
Published in print: Aug 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Oct 21, 2020
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