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CFD Simulation for Wind Load on Octagonal Tall Buildings

Article  in  i-manager's Journal on Civil Engineering · April 2015

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 SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering (SSRG-IJCE) – EFES April 2015

CFD Simulation for Wind Load on Octagonal Tall

Buildings
Dr S.K. Verma #1, A.K Roy *2, Sunil Lather* 3 ,Manoj Sood*4
1
Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, PEC university of Technology, Chandigarh, India
2
Civil Engineering Department, NIT Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, India

alternative. Dalui 2008 has carried out

Abstract— Lateral loads i.e. wind load, seismic load, govern the
design of tall buildings. Wind code IS 875 (PART-3rd) provides
experimental investigation on octagonal shaped tall
the pressure coefficients (CP) only at 0º and 90º wind incidence buildings, Stathopoulos 1996 and Blocken 2008
angles and only for few standard [Link], experimental used CFD for assessing the wind loads. In present
studies become important and wind tunnel experiment is
carried out to measure wind loads on the models of tall
study a numerical modeling employing CFD has
buildings at different wind incident angles. CFD offers a very been used and the results obtained are compared
powerful alternative to predict the wind related phenomena on with those obtained from experimental study
buildings or different kind of structures. A software package,
FLUENT-14 (ANSYS 14.0) is used for CFD analysis. CFD
analysis is carried out considering the same parameters as used
in the experimental [Link] buildings chosen in present study
is octagonal in plan. Mean area weighted average wind II. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM
pressures on the faces of the building models are measured in
order to study the effect of varying wind incident angles namely The experimental study has been conducted in the
0º, 15º and 30º on wind pressure distribution.
Keywords: Tall building; computational fluid dynamics (CFD);
Closed Circuit Wind Tunnel at the Department of
pressure coefficients; wind tunnel testing; wind incidence angle Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology
Roorkee, Roorkee, India. It is a closed circuit,
I. INTRODUCTION continuous flow, closed test section type (i.e.
Structural design of tall buildings is dictated by closed jet type) wind tunnel with single fan (65
wind loads. Generally wind loads are determined HP). Cross-section of the test section is 1.3 m ×
by referring to relevant wind loading codes and 0.85 m size and the length of the test section is 8.2
relevant literature. Some of the relevant wind m. In the present study models are made at a length
load codes are: [AS/NZS: 1170.2-2002, ASCE: 7- scale of 1:300. Table 1 gives the comparison of
02-2002, IS: 875-(Part-3)-1987, NBC-(Part-4)- dimensions in case of prototype and the models.
TABLE 1
1995]. However, the information available in such PROTOTYPE AND MODEL DIMENSIONS
codes regarding wind pressure or force coefficients
even for a simple plan shape such as square one is Prototype Model
Parameter Scale
for limited wind directions only. For building (m) (mm)
Length
shapes other than rectangular plan shapes very Width
30 100
1:30
limited information with regards to wind loads is 30 100
Total 0
150 500
available. This necessitates the need for extensive Height
wind tunnel testing for buildings of peculiar
shapes. But wind tunnel tests being very expensive
and time consuming; Computational Fluid
Dynamics (CFD) simulation has become a good

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 SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering (SSRG-IJCE) – EFES April 2015
Models (Fig. 1) have been prepared using 6 mm These profiles should be representative of the
thick perspex sheets for the experimental study in roughness characteristics of that part of the
the wind tunnel. Pressure tapings are installed on upstream terrain that is not included in
the surfaces of building models for measuring the computational domain (i.e., the terrain upstream of
surface pressure and mean pressure coefficient inlet plane).
values are calculated for each face at different
wind incidence angles. B. Validation of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Flow
Simulation
The velocity profile graph of wind tunnel is used
and mathematical equation is generated which are
used in user defined functions (UDF’s). UDF are
obtained through C-programming which are
generally defined at inlet face of model in Fluent to
simulate atmospheric boundary layer. For
generating our UDF the velocity profile obtained in
wind tunnel is used which is shown in Fig 2.

C. Detail of meshing of the geometry of experimental

setup
Fine meshing is used on the building face, near the
bottom area around building. The quality of mesh
is 0.95-1.0 for model with 0º and between 0.55 to
0.95 for 75º wind incident angle. The quality of
mesh can be checked in ICEM CFD and if this
value is above 0.5 (range is 0.0-1.0) the quality of
Fig. 1 Model used for experimental study mesh is referred as good. To get first cell height we
need some calculations as suggested by CFD
package. If Reynolds number is more than 5 x
22 105flow over a surface will be turbulent. For most
20
18 of wind flow problems flow is turbulent.
Velocity (m/s)

16
14
12 Velocity
10 y = 1.8715ln(x) + 16.94
8
6 Log.
4 (Velocity)
2
0
0 2 4 Fig 3 Top view and side view of mesh of Octagonal Building Model
Height (m)
Fig 2 Velocity profile used in CFD Simulation D. Domain Considered for CFD Simulation of
Experimental Models
III. CFD SIMULATION OF WIND TUNNEL STUDY
CFD simulation for Wind essentially consists of The building dimensions were same as the
following: buildings used for the wind tunnel study as
explained earlier i.e. 100mm × 100mm × 500 mm.
A. Simulation of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Flow The wind tunnel cross section (i.e. domain

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 SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering (SSRG-IJCE) – EFES April 2015
dimensions) taken for the CFD simulation was three building cases. Fig. 5 shows the direction
considered using optimum domain of wind flow for the building models
recommendations by Roy A.K.(2012).

Fig 4. Computational domain of the building models used for CFD

simulation (Roy . 2012)
Fig. 5 Direction of incidence angle (wind flow) for Building Models

IV. SOLVER SETTINGS

The results are calculated as area weighted average
of pressure coefficient Cp on each face. The
Normally the solutions are steady-state solutions.
reference velocity is taken as 15 m/s at the height
Second-order differencing was used for the
of 500 mm from the base of the model.
pressure, momentum and turbulence equations and
the “coupled” pressure-velocity coupling approach
due to its robustness for steady-state, single-phase A. Uniform Octagonal Plan Shape Building
flow problems. The residuals fell below the The building model with uniform octagonal
commonly applied criteria of falling to 10-4 of plan shape was tested in the wind tunnel by S.K.
their initial values after several hundred Dalui (2008) to measure the wind pressure
iterations. However, this was not the only test for distribution on its surfaces under varying wind
convergence the drag, lift and side forces and the incidence angles. Table 1 depicts the variation
moments acting on the building were monitored of mean wind pressure coefficients on different
during the simulation and only when they achieved faces of uniform octagonal building at different
stationary values were the simulations deemed to wind incidence angles.
have converged. Face A: It can be observed from Table 1 that at 0º
wind incidence angle, as the wind strike at right
V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
angle to the Face A this face experiences
The wind pressure measurements are made by maximum positive pressure. It can also be
varying the wind incidence angle from 0º to 30º observed from this table that positive pressure
at an interval of 15º i.e. at i.e. at 0º, 15º, 30º for decreases with the increase of wind incidence
octagonal building. angle. At the wind incidence angle of 30º, almost
Wind flow striking at right angle to Face A of half mean positive pressure coefficient is noticed
all the buildings is taken as 0º wind incidence as compared to the 0º wind incidence angle at this
angle and the flow of other wind incidence face because of increase in suction with the
angles (i.e. 15º, 30º) is the wind deflection in increase in wind incidence angle.
clockwise direction with reference to 0º wind
incidence flow at A is taken into account in all

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 SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering (SSRG-IJCE) – EFES April 2015
TABLE 1
FACE AVERAGE CP (MEAN) CFD COMPUTED VALUES ON DIFFERENT FACES FOR VARIOUS WIND INCIDENCE ANGLES FOR OCTAGONAL
BUILDING MODEL

Wind Cp(mean)value for Building Face

Incidence
Angle Face A Face B Face C Face D Face E Face F Face G Face H

0° 0.835 0.287 -0.572 -0.694 -0.638 -0.674 -0.572 0.286

15° 0.776 -0.38 -0.58 -0.705 -0.681 -0.668 -0.601 0.34

30° 0.473 -0.447 -0.671 -0.63 -0.634 -0.627 -0.514 0.681

Max +ve 0.835 0.287 -0.572 -0.63 -0.634 -0.627 -0.514 0.681

Max -ve 0.473 -0.447 -0.671 -0.705 -0.681 -0.674 -0.601 0.286

Fig. 6 Contours of pressure coefficient at 0º wind incidence for Face A to H

From Fig. 6 it can be observed that positive much less as compared to that at Face A. Suction
pressure on wind ward face increases from goes on increasing from windward side to leeward
bottom to top edge of the face due to increase in side. For 15º and 30º wind incidence angles this
wind velocity with height. Further it can also be face experiences suction. Variation in suction from
seen that maximum positive pressure is 15º wind incidence angle to 30º wind incidence
observed along the centre line of the wind ward angle variation is very less i.e. from -0.38 to -
face and this pressure decreases towards the 0.447 respectively.
edges of the face.
Face C: It can be observed from Table 1 that at all
Face B: From Table 1 at 0º wind incidence angle the wind incidence angles i.e. 0º, 15º and 30º this
Face B experience positive pressure but its value is face experience suction and suction value keep on

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 SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering (SSRG-IJCE) – EFES April 2015
increasing with increase in wind incidence angle.
This face is sideward face at 0º wind incidence Face G: It can be observed from Table 1 that at all
angle and it become inclined leeward at 15º and the wind incidence angles i.e. 0º, 15º and 30º this
30º wind incidence angles. face experience suction and suction value keep on
Face D: It can be observed from Table 1 that at all decreasing with increase in wind incidence angle.
the wind incidence angles i.e. 0º, 15º and 30º this This face is sideward face at 0º wind incidence
face experience suction. For this inclined leeward angle and it become inclined windward at 15º and
face maximum suction occurs at 15º. 30º wind incidence angles. Minimum suction value
i.e. -0.672 occurs at 30º wind incidence angle.
Face E: It is observed that Table 1 that negative
pressure (suction) occurs on leeward face, parallel Face H: At 0º wind incidence angle face H
side faces and inclined leeward faces. Positive experience positive pressure but its value is much
pressure decreases from wind ward edge to less than that at face A. Suction goes on increasing
leeward edge. For Face E at all the wind incidence from windward side to leeward side. With increase
angles i.e. 0º, 15º and 30º this face experience in wind incidence angle this face becomes from
suction. For this leeward face maximum suction of inclined windward to windward face. Hence with
-0.681 occurs at 15º wind incidence angle. For 0º increase in wind incidence angle (i.e. from 0º to
and 30º wind incidence angle suction is almost 15º, 15º to 30º) pressure coefficient values for this
same at both the incidence angles. face goes on increasing. Minimum and maximum
mean Cp values for this face are 0.286 and 0.681 at
Face F: For 0º wind incidence angle this face 0º and 30º respectively.
experience the same suction as face D faces. For
other angles its value are different from face D. It Velocity vector field: Velocity vector field as
can be observed from Table 1 that at all the wind obtained for octagonal tall building is shown in
incidence angles i.e. 0º, 15º and 30º this face Fig 7. It shows vortices are formed behind face
experience suction. For this inclined leeward face D
maximum suction occurs at 0ºand minimum
suction occurs at 30º wind incidence angle.

Fig. 7 Velocity vector field for octagonal building at 0º wind incidence angle

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International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume X Issue Y- Month 2013

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