NUMERICAL-SIMULATION OF WIND-INDUCED PRESSURES ON BUILDINGS OF VARIOUS GEOMETRIES

The paper presents the numerical prediction of turbulent wind pressures on the surfaces of various buildings with sharp comers of right angles for different wind directions. The computer program developed for this purpose solves the time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations by using the k-epsilon turbulence model for closure. The computational procedure is applicable to any arbitrarily-shaped building composed of two rectangular blocks. Computed pressures have been compared with experimentally obtained values for a stepped-roof building (L-shaped in cross-section). Good agreement is found for normal wind directions while differences exist in oblique wind cases.