Variations in CFD simulations of wind loading on building structures
Citation
Metadata
Academic search
Print
Email (Login required) Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Reddit
WhatsApp
Contact author (Login required)
Full Text
View PDFAbstract
Relevant standards for wind loading provide information about wind loads on a small number of standardized building shapes. However, when designing a uniquely shaped structure, two main approaches are possible – either test the structure in a wind tunnel or perform a numerical simulation. With increasing computational power and advances in numerical simulation software, more and more scientific and applied research is being done virtually. Research on fluid flow and the resulting load on machines, industrial facilities and buildings is no exception. In these studies, the first issue is the reliability of the numerical models and, above all, the results obtained through them. Although the programs for numerical simulations have user-friendly interfaces, broad applicability, and advanced solution capabilities, it is not always clear how accurate the results obtained from them are. This article presents a numerical model of a single cylindrical body with a conical roof, subjected to subsonic wind flow. It also shows how, by varying the parameters when creating the model, as the type of finite elements, dimensions of wind tunnel, density of mesh, used RANS model to simulate the turbulence, significant differences can be accounted for in the required computational time and the calculated values of the shear force at its base. It turns out that of all the parameters listed above, the most important is the influence of the dimensions of the finite elements of the fluid domain, i.e., the density of the mesh.
Keywords
References
Abu-Zidan Y, Mendis P, Gunawardena T (2020). Impact of atmospheric boundary layer inhomogeneity in CFD simulations of tall buildings. Heliyon, 6(7), e04274.
Abu-Zidan Y, Mendis P, Gunawardena T (2021). Optimising the computational domain size in CFD simulations of tall buildings. Heliyon, 7(4), e06723.
Agyropulos C, Markatos N (2015). Recent advances on the numerical modelling of turbulent flows. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 39, 693-732.
Ahmed N, Wagner D (2012). Vortex shedding and transition frequencies associated with flow around a circular cylinder. AIAA Journal, 41(3), 542-544.
AIJ guide for numerical prediction of wind loads on buildings (2005). Architectural Institute of Japan, Tokyo, Japan.
Amer M, Abuelyamen A, Parezanovic V, Alkaabi A, Alameri S, Afgan I (2025). A comprehensive review, CFD and ML analysis of flow around tandem circular cylinders at sub-critical Reynolds numbers. Journal of Wind Engineering & Industrial Aerodynamics, 257, 105998.
ANSYS v.2024 R1 (2024). Documentation. Ansys Inc., Canonsburg, PA, USA.
AS/NZS 1170.2:2021 (2021). Structural design actions. Part 2: Wind actions. Australian/New Zealand Standard.
Blocken B (2015). Computational fluid dynamics for urban physics: Importance, scales, possibilities, limitations and ten tips and tricks towards accurate and reliable simulations. Building and Environment, 91, 219-245.
Castro I, Cowan I, Robins A (1999). Simulations of flow and dispersion around buildings. Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 12(4), 145-160.
Cowan I, Castro I, Robins A (1997). Numerical considerations for simulations of flow and dispersion around buildings. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 67-68, 535-545.
EN 1991-1-4:2005+A1:2010 (2010). Eurocode 1: Actions on structures. Part 1-4: General actions. Wind actions. European Committee for Standardisation, Brussels, Belgium.
Franke J, Hellsten A, Schlunzen H, Carissimo B, editors (2007). Best practice guideline for the CFD simulation of flows in the urban environment. COST Action 732, COST Office, Brussels, Belgium.
Franke J, Hirsch C, Jensen A, Krüs H, Schatzmann M, Westbury P, Miles S, Wisse J, Wright N (2004). Recommendations on the use of CFD in wind engineering. Proceedings of the International Conference on Urban Wind Engineering and Building Aerodynamics.
Hadane A, Redford J, Gueguin F, Hafid F, Ghidaglia JM (2023). CFD wind tunnel investigation for wind loading on angle members in lattice tower structures. Journal of Wind Engineering & Industrial Aerodynamics, 236, 105397.
Hall R (1997). Application of computational fluid dynamics to near-field atmospheric dispersion. Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling Liaison Committee Annual Report, 1996.
Hanjalic K (2005). Will RANS survive LES? A view of perspectives. Journal of Fluids Engineering, 127(5), 831-839.
Hillewaere J, Degroote J, Lombaert G, Vierendeels J, Degrande G (2015). Wind-structure interaction simulations of ovalling vibrations in silo groups. Journal of Fluids and Structures, 59, 328-350.
Hillewaere J, Degroote J, Rezayat A, Vanlanduit S, Lombaert G, Vierendeels J, Degrande G (2013). Numerical investigation of wind induced ovalling vibrations in silo groups. Proceedings of the 4th ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Computational Methods in Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Greece.
Hui Y, Al-Obaidi A, Mari T, Gunasagaran S, Ching M (2023). Investigation of the effect of the wind speed on the aerodynamic and architectural design of tall buildings. Proceedings of the 18th International Engineering Research Conference (Eureca 2022), 2523, 012039.
Kolmogorov A (1941). Equations of turbulent motion in an incompressible fluid. Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR, 30(4), 299-303.
Koss H (2000). Einfluss der Simulation des natürlichen Windes auf die Prognose des Überlastrisikos von Hallentragwerken. Ph.D. thesis, Ruhr-University of Bochum, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Germany.
Launder B, Sharma B (1974). Application of the energy dissipation model of turbulence to the calculation of flow near a spinning disk. Letters in Heat and Mass Transfer, 1, 131-138.
Markatos N (1986). The mathematical modelling of turbulent flows. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 10(3), 190-220.
Menter F (1994). Two-equation eddy-viscosity turbulence models for engineering applications. AIAA Journal, 32(8), 1598-1605.
Ong M, Utnes T, Holmedal L, Myrhaug D, Pettersen B (2010). Numerical simulation of flow around a circular cylinder close to a flat seabed at high Reynolds numbers using a k-ε model. Coastal Engineering, 57(10), 931-947.
Revuz J, Hargreaves D, Owen J (2012). On the domain size for the steady-state CFD modelling of a tall building. Wind and Structures, 15, 313-329.
Rusev I, Dinev D, Tanev T (2012). Numerical study of wind actions on nearby tall buildings. Proceedings of the International Jubilee Scientific Conference UACEG 2012, Sofia, Bulgaria, 15-17.
Stefanidou S, Markogiannaki O, Paraskevopoulos E (2023). Parametric analysis and reduced order model of resulting wind loading on structural components through CFD simulations. ECCOMAS Procedia, 4523-4531.
Sun Y, Zhang Z (2025). Hydrodynamic interaction in a confined corner: A CFD study of flow and force behaviour around a circular cylinder. Journal of Engineering and Applied Science, 72, 68.
Thordal M, Bennetsen J, Koss H (2019). Review for practical application of CFD for the determination of wind load on high-rise buildings. Journal of Wind Engineering & Industrial Aerodynamics, 186, 155-168.
Tominaga Y, Mochida A, Yoshie R, Kataoka H, Nozu T, Yoshikawa M, Shirasawa T (2008). AIJ guidelines for practical applications of CFD to pedestrian wind environment around buildings. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 96(10-11), 1749-1761.
Villalpando F, Reggio M, Ilinca A (2011). Assessment of turbulence models for flow simulation around a wind turbine airfoil. Modelling and Simulation in Engineering, 2011, 714146.
Wilcox D (1988). Reassessment of the scale-determining equation for advanced turbulence models. AIAA Journal, 26(11), 1299-1310.
Wilcox D (2006). Turbulence modelling for CFD. 3rd ed. DCW Industries Inc.
Xing J, Patruno L, Miranda S, Pinardi S, et al. (2023). Early stages wind load assessment using computational fluid dynamics: The new Bologna Stadium roof. Structures, 47, 1912-1926.
Yagmur S, Dogan S, Aksoy M, Goktepeli I (2020). Turbulence modelling approaches on unsteady flow structures around a semi-circular cylinder. Ocean Engineering, 200, 107051.
Yu M, Liao H, Li M, Ma C, Luo N, Liu M (2011). Study on static wind loading coefficients of suspension bridge, based on CFD simulation and wind tunnel test. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 66-68, 334-339.
Zdravkov L (2022). Wind loads on girder bridges. Challenge Journal of Structural Mechanics, 8(1), 9-16.
Zdravkov L (2024). Influence of the distance between vertical cylinders positioned in a row on the wind load on them. Challenge Journal of Structural Mechanics, 10(3), 101-108.
