Wind-induced Mean Interference Effects Between Low-rise Buildings With Gable Roof

The southeast coastal areas of China belong to typhoon prone areas. Every year, these areas frequently suffer severe typhoon disaster. Especially in vast rural areas, typhoon's visit often cause severe damage or collapse to a mass of low-rise buildings with gable roof. Therefore, it is highly necessary to make clear the characteristics of wind pressure distribution on such buildings. So as to put forward practical wind-resistant design method and measures.In this paper, numerical simulation method is employed to study the wind-induced mean interference effects between two low-rise buildings with gable roof and between such buildings complex. Firstly, Fluent15.0 software is used for numerical simulation of Silsoe 6m Cube model. The simulation results are compared with the measured data and the results of wind tunnel test, and the validity and accuracy of the numerical simulation are testified. Considering the difference of the shape of the building, the numerical calculation of the wind pressures on the low-rise gable roofed buildings follows. The numerical results are compared with results of wind tunnel test. The reliability of the numerical simulation method to predict the wind pressure on the low-rise building is further verified.Secondly, the numerical simulation is performed to analyze the interference effect between two such buildings. The effects of arrangement mode, arrangement distance and wind direction angle are considered. By comparison, we found that there are the biggest interference effects on the upwind eaves of interfered building, and it is most obvious in parallel arrangement, followed by staggered arrangement, less obvious in tandem arrangement. Accordingly, interference coefficients of the region of roof where wind pressures increase are given. It can be used for the wind-resistant design of such buildings.Finally, wind effects on building complex composed of nine such buildings are studied by numerical simulation method. The paper analyzes wind effects on wind pressures on the roof of buildings in both qualitative and quantitative ways. The results show that larger interference effects on the roof appear in the corner and the periphery along the width direction of building complex. And it is most obvious on upwind eaves of buildings. Therefore, wind load shape coefficients on the region of roof in building complex are equal to wind load shape coefficients of single building multiplied by interference coefficients to consider increased wind effects.