Aerodynamic mitigation of extreme wind loading on low-rise buildings

Thumbnail Image
Date
2008-01-01
Authors
Sehn, Kevin
Major Professor
Advisor
Partha Sarkar
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Altmetrics
Abstract

Hurricanes and other extreme wind events cause immense devastation to our economy every year. Modern buildings should be designed to withstand extreme wind so that it reduces the financial strain on the economy. An experimental study was performed to compare aerodynamic performance of new roof designs. Traditional roof shapes were also included in this study to determine if the new designs had any merit in aerodynamic roof load mitigation. An atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel was used with the characteristic wind of a suburban boundary terrain. The force results obtained from measurement of the roof loads showed that the largest reduction was achieved with the leading-edge spoiler, which resulted in 32.3% reduction of roof uplift. A few other methods also demonstrated adequate roof load mitigation. The aerodynamic modification of buildings provides a cost effective solution to reducing the economic impact of hurricanes and other extreme wind phenomena.

Series Number
Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Academic or Administrative Unit
Type
thesis
Comments
Rights Statement
Copyright
Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2008
Funding
Supplemental Resources
Source