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JOURNAL OF WIND & ENGINEERING
Vol. 9 No. 1 January 2012
CONTENTS
1. Along - Wind Response of A Tall Rectangular Building : A Comparative 1-19
Study of International Codes/Standards with Wind Tunnel Data
Nikhil Agrawal, Achal Mittal, Amit Gupta, V. K. Gupta
2. Tracer Gas dispersion in an Urban Environment: 20-32
Scaling Considerations in Wind Tunnel Testing
Amit Gupta, Ted Stathopoulos
3. Comparison of Codal Values and Experimental Data 33-53
Pertaining to Dynamic Wind Characteristics
Nikhil Agrawal, V. K. Gupta, Amit Gupta, Achal Mittal
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp 1-19.
1 Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee ([email protected])
2 Principal Scientist, Structural Engineering Group, CSIR-CBRI Roorkee ([email protected])
3 Structural and Wind Engineering Consultant, Roorkee ([email protected])
4 Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee ([email protected])
Along - Wind Response of A Tall Rectangular Building:
A Comparative Study of International Codes/Standards with
Wind Tunnel Data
Nikhil Agrawal1, Achal Mittal2, Amit Gupta3, V. K. Gupta4
ABSTRACT
This paper presents a comparison of along wind load and its effect on tall rectangular buildings obtained from
different international wind codes/standards for three different terrain categories namely: suburban, heavy
suburban and urban. The codes/standards studied are those for Japan, Australia/New-Zealand, United States,
British/European, Canada, Hong-Kong and India [existing (1987) as well as proposed (2011)].
Different parameters like gust factor, shear force, base bending moment and peak acceleration in along wind
direction have been compared for two different plan orientations of a building. The results of wind tunnel
test on an aero-elastic model have also been presented along with values by different codes/standards. The
similarities and differences of different codes/standards are also discussed.
Key words : Along wind, Wind codes/standards, Terrain categories, Building orientation, Gust loading
factor, Tall building.
NOTATION
b Width of building (m) S Size reduction factor
H Height of building (m) E Gust energy ratio
d Depth/length of building (m) r Roughness factor
B Background component mo
Average mass per unit height (kg/m)
R Resonant component Vo
Basic wind velocity (m/s)
ρbldg
. Density of building . Lz
Turbulent length scale at any height Z (m)
ρair
Density of air LH
Turbulent length scale at building height (m)
β Critical damping ratio na
First mode frequency of building (Hz)
CD, C
fDrag/force coefficient N Effective reduced frequency
G Gust factor φ Factor to account for second order turbulent
intensity
Z , Ze
Reference height (m) CeH
Exposure factor
zo
Roughness length (m) VD
/ Va
Up-crossing frequency (Hz)
T Averaging time K A factor related to surface roughness
coefficient of the terrain
IZ Turbulent intensity at height Z φ(z) Along wind mode shape function
g, gf,g
vPeak factor ξ Mode exponent
gR
RL, R
H, R
DAerodynamic K Non dimensional coefficient
admittance functions
α Power law index . V Z Hourly mean wind velocity (m/s)
Usual meaning of notation unless/otherwise mentioned in the text
2 Along - Wind Response of a Tall Rectangular Building: A Comparative Study of International Codes/Standards With Wind Tunnel Data
INTRODUCTION
Under the influence of dynamic wind loads, typical high-rise buildings may oscillate in the along-wind, across-
wind, and torsional directions. The along-wind motion primarily results from pressure fluctuations on the
windward and leeward faces, which generally follow the fluctuations in the approach flow, at least in the low
frequency range. Therefore, along-wind aerodynamic loads may be quantified analytically, utilizing quasi-
steady and strip theories, with dynamic effects customarily represented by a random vibration based "Gust
Factor Approach" (Davenport 1967, Vellozzi & Cohen 1968, Vickery 1970, Simiu 1976, Solari
1982, ESDU 1989).
Many researchers found it of interest to compare the prevalent international codes/standards, their treatment
of dynamic effects, and how well the estimated values compare with measured data. Such comparisons of
the suggested procedures given by codes/standards with wind tunnel data (for large collections of actual
buildings tested under both isolated conditions and in their actual surroundings) and comparisons with
full-scale data have been reported by Loh & Isyumov (1985), Ferraro et. al. (1989) and Lee & Ng (1988).
Holmes (2007) summarized a comparison of wind loading provisions among the following standards:
International Standards ISO 4354 (1997), Australian Standards AS/NZS 1170.2-2002, Euro code pre-
Standard EN 1991-1-4.6 (CEN, 2004), American ASCE 7-05, Japanese AIJ (2004) and British BS 6399:
Part 2 (1997), and highlighted their similarities and differences. Other comparisons between major wind
loading codes/standards have been made by Cook (1990), Mehta (1998), Kijewski and Kareem (1998),
Hajra and Godbole (2006) and Tamura et. al. (2009) for dynamic wind effects on buildings. A Special Issue
of the journal Wind and Structures in 2005 included five papers in which all aspects of codification for wind
loads were reviewed (Holmes et. al., 2005a,b; Letchford et. al., 2005; Kasperski and Geurts, 2005;
Tamura et. al., 2005).
Holmes et. al. (2009) described a comparison of wind load calculations on three buildings (low-rise H=6.2m,
medium-rise H=48m and high-rise H=183m) using fifteen different wind loading codes/standards from the
Asia-Pacific Region. Authors discussed reasons for differences in the results and also presented the extent of
variations in numerical terms.
Although sufficient work has been conducted on codes/standards, a comprehensive review of the provisions
particularly for different terrain categories has not been conducted so far.
The Codes/Standards considered herein are:
Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ-2004) Recommendations for Loads on Buildings.
Australian Standard: Minimum Design Loads on Structures (AN/NZS 1172.2:2002).
British/European Standard: Euro-code 1: Actions on Structures (BS EN 1991-1-4:2005).
Code of Practice on Wind Effects in Hong-Kong (CPWEHK-2004).
Code of Practice for Design Loads for Buildings and Structures IS: 875(Part-3)-1987.
Code of Practice for Design Loads for Buildings and Structures IS: 875(Part-3)-2011 (Proposed).
Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE 7-05).
National Building Code of Canada (NBCC-1995).
A brief discussion of the treatment of dynamic wind loads and corresponding responses by these codes/
standards, in along wind direction has been given for a sample building. The results calculated from these
codes/standards in the along-wind direction for shear force, base bending moment, and accelerations at the
top of a building are compared to responses estimated from wind tunnel data. In total, this paper provides
critical evaluation of the codes treatment of dynamic effects in along wind direction by these codes/standards.
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp 1-19. 3
In the following text, details about the wind tunnel study have been presented first, followed by a discussion
of the comparison of various wind codes/standards for along wind response.
WIND TUNNEL STUDY
The wind tunnel tests were conducted in the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel of civil engineering department at
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. This is an open circuit, continuous flow, suction type tunnel using
single blower fan (125 HP) having a test section of 2.1 m x 2.0 m size. The length of test section is 15m.
Turbulent boundary layer flows are developed over the fetches of upwind terrain, where vortex generators,
barrier wall and roughness blocks are set on the floor. In such a case, when the airflow approaches the
testing body, it develops characteristics similar to the natural wind attaining the desired wind velocity profile
(Asawa et. al.-1985).
Aeroelastic Model
In the present study, a single rigid lumped mass model, pivoted at the base, having two degrees of freedom,
described by Isyumov (1982) is adopted. This is a rectangular building model with cross-section 0.05x0.15x0.60
m. Tests were conducted for two different orientations, namely, long afterbody (LAB) and short afterbody
(SAB). Orientation of building in which shorter dimension of building faces the wind with longer dimension
along the wind corresponds to LAB orientation and when longer dimension of building faces the wind with
shorter dimension along the wind corresponds to SAB orientation. The first mode
frequency of the model is 19.0 Hz in LAB orientation and 16.0 Hz in SAB orientation. The structural density
of model is 183.4 kg/m3 and the assumed critical structural damping ratio is 0.015 in both the directions (IS
875: Part 3-1987, Gupta 1996). The length scale, velocity scale and frequency scale are also set as 1/400, 1/
4 and 100 respectively. Data are recorded for a sampling duration of 20 seconds (corresponding to 33.34 min.
at full scale) at a sampling rate of 250 Hz per channel, i.e., 3000 data points are taken for each channel. Two
acceleration sensors are placed at the top of the model to measure the along-wind and acrosswind
acceleration responses.
In all the roughness conditions considered, suburban (α=0.19), heavy suburban (α=0.25) and urban (α=0.33),
bending moment at the base and acceleration at the top of the building model were recorded simultaneously,
for a fan speed of 300rpm to 700rpm, which corresponds to mean wind speeds of 4 m/s to 12 m/s in along-
wind direction for both long as well as short afterbody orientations. Statistical parameters of the responses,
i.e., mean, standard deviation and peak moment, rms and peak acceleration in along-wind and across-wind
direction have been calculated for all the cases. Measured longitudinal mean wind velocity profile, turbulent
intensity profile, and turbulence spectrum of the wind simulation are shown in Figures 1 (a-c).
Figure 1 Wind model properties: (a) Mean wind velocity profiles (á=0.19, 0.25, 0.33); (b)
Turbulent intensity profiles; (c) Longitudinal turbulence spectrums for given terrains
The schematic drawing of the wind tunnel at Civil Engineering Department, IIT Roorkee is shown in the
Figure 2 (a). Figure 2 (b) shows a schematic figure of Aero-elastic model and Figure 2 (c) gives a
photographs of aero-elastic model used in this study
4 Along - Wind Response of a Tall Rectangular Building: A Comparative Study of International Codes/Standards With Wind Tunnel Data
Table 2 Conversion Factors for 1-hour Averaging Time
The gust loading factor, G, may be defined as the ratio of the expected maximum response (e.g. deflection or
stress) of the structure in a defined period (e.g. 10-minutes or 1-h) to the mean or time-averaged response in
the same period. The expected maximum wind response, during an interval T may then be expressed as the
summation of the mean value and the RMS value multiplied by a statistically-derived peak factor
(Davenport 1967), For example, the expected maximum mean value of random, X, related to loading or
response is given by:
(1)
(2)
where g is the peak factor, σx is the RMS value of X, G is the gust factor, B is background factor and R is the
resonant factor. σx represents the area under the power spectral density of X which can be described in terms
of background component (B) and resonant component (R). For example, in the case of response, the back-
ground component (B) would represent the response due to the quasi-steady effects, while the resonant
component (R) would denote the response resulting from dynamic amplification. Typically, a stiffer building
would have major contributions from the background component, whereas for more flexible structure, the
resonant part would dominate.
Equation (2) or variations of it are used in many codes/standards for wind loading, for simple estimations of
the along-wind dynamic loading of structures. The usual approach is to calculate G for the modal coordinate
in the first mode of vibration, and then to apply it to a mean load distribution on the structure from which all
responses such as shear force/ bending moments are calculated (Holmes 2007).
For a quick reference, the procedure for gust loading factor and peak acceleration in the major codes/
standards are summarized in Table 3.
A Tall rectangular building is used as an example to compare the estimates of wind load effects based on
codes/standards. The building particulars are H=240m, b=20m, d=60m; natural frequency in SAB is 0.16 Hz
and in LAB orientation is 0.19 Hz, linear mode shape in two translation directions; critical damping ratio
β=0.015; drag force coefficient (as per IS: 875 (3)-1987) CD=1.27 in SAB orientation and 1.18 in LAB
orientation and building density ρ=183.4 kg/m3. The building is assumed to be located at Bombay (India) far
from sea. The basic 3-second gust wind velocity=44m/s (as per IS: 875(3)-1987). Comparison is made for
two different orientations (SAB, LAB) for three different terrains, namely, suburban, heavy suburban and
urban. For simplicity, the effects of wind direction, topography, shielding, importance and return period are
ignored in the following discussion.
Terrain Categories/Averaging Time 3 Seconds 10 Minutes
Suburban (Zo=0.2m) 1.40 1.05
Heavy Suburban (Zo=0.7m) 1.47 1.06
Urban (Zo=2m) 1.54 1.07
xgXX σ.max +=
RBg
Xg
X
XG x ++=+== .1.1max σ
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp 1-19. 7
Tab
le 3
(C
on
tin
ued
)
a-4.
Br
gf
=φ
; b-
2
BI
gh
v=
φ; c-
z
za V
Ln
N=
; d
- )
21(
221
1η
ηη
−−
−=
eL
R f
or η>
0:
and R
L=
1 f
or η=
0. R
H,
zV
Ha
n6.
4=
η,
Rb,
zV
ban
6.4=
η,
and R
D,
zV
dan
4.15
=η
; e-
)1ˆ
/(ˆ
)6
5.
1(+
+=
ξα
αK
and
ξφ
)/
()
(H
zz=
wh
ere ξ
is t
he
mode
expon
ent;
f-
R
Rn
a+
=1
.υ
;
g -
6/
52
.71
1
.4
+
=
H
Ha
H
Ha V
Ln
V
Ln
F; h
-2
2
2
RB
Rn
a+
=υ
h
za
.0
8.0≥
ν; i-
)
ln(
.2 )1
(
15.
0)
ln(
).1(
).12(
ozezozez
K
+
−
+
++
=ξξ
ξ
and
ξφ
)/
()
(H
zz=
wher
e ξ
is
the
mode
exponen
t, a
nd
(
)(
)
+
−=
′
07
.0
56
.0
/
/63
.0
1
14
.0
49
.0
2
bH
LbH
IC
H
zg
α, λ=
1;
j-as
fo
rmula
for
acce
lera
tion i
s n
ot
giv
en s
o g
ener
al e
quat
ion h
as b
een u
sed,
and K
=0.1
4,
72
.0
30
.4.
0
=
HC
eH
fo
r urb
an t
erra
in;
k
- K
=0.1
,
5.0
7.12
.5.
0
=
HC
eHfo
r hea
vy
sub
urb
an t
erra
in;
l-.
)1(
2
11
2
2
η
ηη
−−
−=
eR
H f
or η>
0:
and R
H=
1 f
or η=
0.
RH,
za
L
Hn
6.4
=η
, R
H=
Rb f
or
za
L
bn
6.4
=η
.
wh
ere:
10 Along - Wind Response of a Tall Rectangular Building: A Comparative Study of International Codes/Standards With Wind Tunnel Data
Numerical values of different parameters contributing to GLF estimated from different codes/standards are
listed in Table 4.
Table 4 shows the Gust Factor (G) for two different building orientations in suburban, heavy suburban and
urban terrain. Typical values of different parameters used for estimation of GLF in different codes/standards
as observed in Table 4, are discussed below.
The mean hourly design wind velocity (after applying conversion factor) in Indian (1987/2011), Australian/
New-Zealand and American standards (which are based on 3s gust) are lower than those by other codes/
standards which are based on longer averaging time (10min or 1-hour). The effect of averaging time on
forces and accelerations can be seen in Figure 3.
American and British/European calculate the GLF at 0.6H, while others at building height H. Similarly,
value of r is taken 1.7Iz for ASCE, instead of 2I
z as in other codes/standards. Consequently result in higher
values of B and E.
Any parameter used in calculating GLF that has a higher value than those with other codes/standards are
generally compensated by other parameter in respective code at the end, and all codes provide comparative
values of GLF in the end. For example, value of resonant response factor (R) for AIJ code is much higher
than any other code, but at the same time the value of peak factor (gf) is lower, resulting in a comparable
value of GLF. Similarly, the value of turbulent length scale in Indian (1987) and Hong-Kong Standards is
much-much higher than any other code/standard, although its effect on GLF has been taken care of in
their background component (B).
Indian Standards show higher gust loading factor (2-15%) in spite of lower value of background (B) and
resonant factor (R) due to higher value of peak factor for suburban terrain.
Although, heavy suburban category is not defined in Indian standards and Australian/New-Zealand code,
values shown in Table 4 are computed from linear interpolation between the terrains suburban and urban.
Similarly, urban terrain (city centre) is not defined in American and British/European standards. The value for
GLF parameters for American code is computed from its earlier version (ASCE 7-98).
From Table 4, it is also noted that as roughness increases, the value of design wind velocity decreases and
turbulent intensity increases. Subsequently, background and resonant factors decrease but the peak factor
value for resonant factor increases, thus there is an increase in GLF.
It is interesting to note that the background factor is independent of terrain roughness for AS/NZS Code as
well as Hong-Kong code and almost constant for Indian (2011) and BS EN Standards although AIJ and
Indian Standards (1987) show variation of Background factors with terrain roughness.
Size reduction factor (S) depends on the natural frequency of building, height of building, width of building
facing the wind and design wind speed according to all codes/standards. For BS EN Standard, S depends on
length scale instead of design wind speed as in other codes/standards. In addition to the above parameters, S
is also dependent upon lateral dimension of the building as per American Standard. Graphical
representations of the GLF and responses: forces and accelerations for three terrains and two different
orientations of building are shown in Figure 3. The experimental results are also presented in the same
figure.
For simplicity in the comparison among codes/standards, the risk coefficient (1.07) is ignored, but it is anyway
included during wind tunnel experiment, so the experimental values presented in Figure 3 are higher that what
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp 1-19. 11
Tab
le 4
.Res
ult
of C
om
pu
tati
on
for
Su
bu
rban
(S
), H
eavy S
ub
urb
an
(H
) an
d U
rban
(U
) Ter
rain
Sy
mb
ols
/Co
des
T
erra
in
Ca
teg
ory
IS-1
987
IS-2
01
1
AS
/NZ
S
AS
CE
*
SA
B
LA
B
SA
B
LA
B
SA
B
LA
B
SA
B
LA
B
)/
.(s
mV
o
S,H
,U
(sa
me
va
lue)
44
44
44
44
31
.42
31
.42
44
44
).(
mZ
2
40
24
0
24
0
24
0
24
0
24
0
14
4
14
4
)/
.(s
mV
z
S
H
U
40
36
31
40
36
31
40
35
31
40
35
31
40
37
34
40
37
34
41
39
32
41
39
32
zI
S
H
U
0.1
03
0.1
22
0.1
45
0.1
03
0.1
22
0.1
45
0.1
24
0.1
54
0.1
84
0.1
29
0.1
54
0.1
84
0.1
31
0.1
58
0.1
86
0.1
31
0.1
58
0.1
86
0.1
60
0.1
92
0.2
88
0.1
60
0.1
92
0.2
88
r
S
H
U
0.2
06
0.2
44
0.2
90
0.2
06
0.2
44
0.2
90
0.2
48
0.3
07
0.3
68
0.2
48
0.3
07
0.3
68
0.2
62
0.3
16
0.3
72
0.2
62
0.3
16
0.3
72
0.2
72
0.3
27
0.4
90
0.2
72
0.3
27
0.4
90
).(
mL
z
S
H
U
19
56
.0
18
57
.7
17
59
.0
19
56
.0
18
57
.7
17
59
.0
18
8.1
17
0.0
15
4.9
18
8.1
17
0.0
15
4.9
18
8.1
18
8.1
25
2.1
23
7.3
20
8.2
252
.1
237
.3
208
.2
B
S
H
U
0.5
6
0.5
4
0.5
4
0.5
7
0.5
5
0.5
4
0.5
9
0.5
7
0.5
5
0.6
0
0.5
8
0.5
6
0.5
9
0.6
0
0.7
7
0.7
6
0.7
5
0.7
8
0.7
7
0.7
6
E
S
H
U
0.1
32
0.1
28
0.1
17
0.1
16
0.1
11
0.1
07
0.1
08
0.1
05
0.1
03
0.0
96
0.0
94
0.0
92
0.1
07
0.1
02
0.0
96
0.0
96
0.0
91
0.0
86
0.1
32
0.1
33
0.1
28
0.1
21
0.1
22
0.1
17
S
S
H
U
0.1
48
0.1
28
0.1
08
0.1
64
0.1
48
0.1
32
0.1
17
0.0
98
0.0
84
0.1
45
0.1
25
0.1
09
0.1
17
0.1
06
0.0
95
0.1
45
0.1
33
0.1
21
0.0
87
0.0
80
0.0
58
0.0
85
0.0
79
0.0
61
R
S
H
U
1.3
0
1.0
9
0.8
4
1.2
7
1.0
9
0.9
4
0.8
4
0.6
9
0.5
8
0.9
3
0.7
0.6
7
0.8
3
0.7
2
0.6
9
0.9
3
0.8
1
0.7
0
0.8
0.8
4
0.7
1
0.8
3
0.8
0
0.6
9
g
g
f =4
.0
gf =
4.0
g
R=
3.5
6
gR=
3.6
1
gR=
3.0
2
gR=
3.0
8
gR=
3.7
27
gR=
3.7
7
gv=
4.0
g
v=
4.0
g
v=
3.7
g
v=
4.0
g
v=
3.4
0
gv=
3.4
0
G
S
H
U
2.1
2
2.2
5
2.3
6
2.1
1
2.2
2
2.4
1
2.2
2
2.4
6
2.7
0
2.2
6
2.5
2
2.7
7
2.0
4
2.2
1
2.3
7
2.0
8
2.2
6
2.4
3
1.9
7
2.1
5
2.5
8
1.9
6
2.1
4
2.5
9
G(C
om
pa
rin
g
wit
h I
S-8
75
-
19
87)
S
H
U
10
0%
10
0%
10
0%
10
0%
10
0%
10
0%
10
4.7
%
10
9.3
%
11
4.4
%
10
7.1
%
11
3.5
%
11
4.9
%
96
.2%
98
.2%
10
0%
98.6
%
101
.8%
10
0%
92
.9%
95
.6%
10
9.3
%
92
.9%
96
.4%
10
7.5
%
12 Along - Wind Response of a Tall Rectangular Building: A Comparative Study of International Codes/Standards With Wind Tunnel Data
Tab
le 4
(C
on
tin
ued
)
Sy
mb
ols
/Co
des
T
erra
in
Ca
teg
ory
AIJ
B
S E
N
HK
N
BC
C
SA
B
LA
B
SA
B
LA
B
SA
B
LA
B
SA
B
LA
B
)/
.(s
mV
o
S,H
,U
(sa
me
valu
e)
31.5
3
1.5
3
1.5
31.5
2
9.93
29
.93
29.
93
29.
93
).(
mZ
2
40
240
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gf =
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g f =
3.1
8
g f =
3.1
6
gf=
3.0
4
gf=
3.0
3
-
g f=
3.0
8
g f=
3.0
7
-
g R =
3.5
6 g R
=3.
61
-
gf =
3.7
0
g f=
3.6
9
-
gp=
3.7
5
gp=
3.7
4 g
v=3.
70
g v=
3.7
0
G
S
H
U
1.9
6
1.9
9
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2
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5
2.0
9
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om
pa
rin
g
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75-
198
7)
S
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92.
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88.
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85.
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97.2
%
94.1
%
88.4
%
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88
.9%
-
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94.
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-
87
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82
.2%
78
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89.
6%
85.
1%
78.
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-
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-
11
4.4%
11
6.6%
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp 1-19. 13
it should be if we would have neglected risk coefficient during the experimental study. Further, this
represents the worst case for the study presented in this paper.
Although, the trend of values computed from different codes/standards are similar for both orientations in
different terrains but values vary due to different wind characteristics particularly their distinct wind velocity
profiles. For heavy suburban terrain, wind tunnel results show a different trend for GLF and peak
acceleration, when compared with other codes /standards.
From Figure 3, it is observed that the structural response for SAB orientation is around 3 times than LAB
orientation. Indian Standard (2011) gives a higher value of GLF than any other code/standard for all terrains
and both the orientations. The value of GLF in different codes/standards varies by -14% to+7% compared to
Indian Standard (1987) for suburban terrain, -18% to +14% for heavy suburban and -22% to +16% for urban
terrain. Least variation comes out for Indian Standard (2011) and the maximum variation for Hong-Kong
Code.
Value of peak acceleration according to Indian Standard (2011) is almost the same in heavy suburban and
urban terrain for SAB orientation. Higher value of turbulent intensity in urban terrain becomes the critical
factor instead of higher value of wind speed and resonant component of heavy suburban terrain.
It is interesting to note that the value of peak acceleration from the ASCE Standard for heavy suburban
terrain is higher than suburban for both the building orientations, which is not the trend followed by other
codes/standards. This is because resonant peak factor in ASCE Standard does not depend on terrain
roughness and there is lesser difference in design wind speed of suburban and heavy suburban terrain for this
standard.
BS EN, AIJ and ASCE Standards considered the effect of mode exponent, while computing the peak
acceleration. The value of non-dimensional coefficient Kx (depends on mode exponent, type of terrain and
effective height of building) in BS EN Standard is three times more than in ASCE Standard. The higher value
Kx in BS EN Standard appears the reason of greater value of acceleration in BS EN Standard than other
codes/standards except NBCC, for both the building orientations in different terrains.
Factor of 3.9 considered by NBCC (refer Table 3) while calculating the peak acceleration should be the
reason responsible for its highest value of peak acceleration as this factor for AIJ, ASCE and BS EN
Standards are 1, (0.85*3) and 3.0 respectively.
Base forces (shear and bending moment) increase with a decrease in the terrain roughness due to increase
in design wind speed (refer Table 4). For example, Japanese Code shows highest value of forces for both
building orientations in suburban terrain as the highest value of wind speed is used by this code (refer Table
3). Similarly, Canadian and Hong-Kong codes estimate higher value of forces for both orientations of
building in heavy suburban and urban terrains respectively.
Base bending moments vary within ±11% from average value for all codes/standards considered, for
suburban terrain and the variation is ±22.5% and ±18% for heavy suburban and urban terrain respectively,
for SAB orientation of building. These variations for respective terrains in LAB orientation of building are
±13.6%, ±27.75% and ±24.5%.
It may be seen that Hong-Kong Code gives the same value of GLF, forces and acceleration for all terrain
because of single general terrain category adopted by this code.
14 Along - Wind Response of a Tall Rectangular Building: A Comparative Study of International Codes/Standards With Wind Tunnel Data
Figure 3.Varition of GLF, Peak Accelerations, Base Bending Moments and Shear Forces for Different Orientation
of Building in Different Terrain Roughness with Different Codes/Standards and
Wind Tunnel Data
Symboles : Urban Terrain Heavy Sub Urban Terrain Sub Urban Terrain
AS
CE
Exp
.
BS E
N
Peak Accelerations for LAB Oritentation
WindIS
198
7
IS 2
011
AS/N
ZS
AIJ
HK
NB
CC
Pe
ak
Acc
era
tio
ns
(% o
f g
)
7
6.5
6
5.5
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
AS
CE
Exp
.
BS E
N
IS 1
987
IS 2
011
AS/N
ZS
AIJ
HK
NB
CC
Shear Forces for LAB Oritentation
Wind
Sh
ea
r F
orc
es
(KN
-m *
10
00
)
40
35
3
25
20
15
10
5
0
AS
CE
Exp
.
BS E
N
IS 1
987
IS 2
011
AS/N
ZS
AIJ
HK
NB
CC
Base Moments for LAB Oritentation
Wind
5.5
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Ba
se M
om
en
ts (
KN
-m *
10
00
00
0)
AS
CE
Exp
.
Gust Factors for LAB Orientation
BS E
N
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
IS 1
987
IS 2
011
AS/N
ZS
AIJ
HK
NB
CC
Wind
AS
CE
Exp
.
Gust Factors for SAB Orientation
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
IS 1
987
IS 2
011
AS/N
ZS
AIJ
HK
NB
CC
BS E
N
Wind
Wind
7
6.5
6
5.5
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
AS
CE
Exp
.
IS 1
987
IS 2
011
AS/N
ZS
AIJ
HK
NB
CC
BS E
N
Pe
ak
Acc
era
tio
ns
(% o
f g
)
Peak Accelerations for SAB Oritentation
AS
CE
BS E
N
IS 1
987
IS 2
011
AS/N
ZS
NB
CC
5.5
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Ba
se M
om
en
ts (
KN
-m *
10
00
00
0)
Base Moments for SAB Oritentation
Wind
Exp
.
AIJ
HK
Wind
AS
CE
Exp
.
BS E
N
IS 1
987
IS 2
011
AS/N
ZS
AIJ
HK
NB
CC
Sh
ea
r F
orc
es
(KN
-m *
10
00
)
40
35
3
25
20
15
10
5
0
Shear Forces for SAB Oritentation
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp 1-19. 15
The experimental results are showing more or less similar trend as by other codes/standards for all the
terrains and both the orientations of building for GLF, peak acceleration, shear force and base bending
moment. However, there is deviation in the trend for LAB orientation in heavy suburban terrain. The
experimental values for particular wind velocity are shown in Figure 3, although the experimental data are
collected for range of reduced velocities.
CONCLUSIONS
This paper presents a comparative study of parameters affecting along-wind response of a tall building
namely: gust loading factor, shear force, base bending moment and peak acceleration in major country
codes/standards. Two different building orientations: short after body and long after body for three different
terrain categories: suburban, heavy suburban and urban have been studied. Wind tunnel tests on an
aero-elastic model have also been conducted and the experimental results are presented along with values
from these codes/standards.
Main conclusions from this study are:
1) For a 3-second basic gust wind speed, mean wind loads estimated from each code/standard varied
significantly due to their distinct wind characteristics (V , IZ , r and LZ ). For example, value of
gust loading factor in different codes/standards varies up-to ±10% from Indian Standard (1987) for
suburban terrain, ±16% for heavy suburban and ±19% for urban terrain. Consequently there is
difference in shear forces and base bending moments
2) Heavy suburban terrain does not exist in Indian Standards [existing (1987) as well as proposed
(2011)] causing a large difference between forces and accelerations estimated for terrain category III
(α=0.18) and category IV (α=0.36). Thus, there appears to be a need for more refined terrain
category classification for Indian Standards.
3) Any parameter used in calculating gust factor that has a higher value than those with other codes
standards is generally compensated by other parameter in respective code at the end, resulting in
comparable values. For example, value of resonant response factor (R) for AIJ code is much higher
than any other code, but at the same time the value of peak factor (gf) is lower, resulting in a
comparable value of GLF.
4) In general, proposed Indian Standard (2011) is more accurate and refined than the earlier version i.e
1987 and is more direct than other codes/standards for estimating response parameters such as
acceleration and forces.
5) It is observed that with an increase in roughness the value of design wind velocity decreases and
turbulent intensity increases. Consequently, background and resonant factors decrease
but the peak factor value for resonant component increases, thus there is an increase in gust
loading factor.
6) Base forces (shear and bending moment) increase with decrease in the terrain roughness due to
increase in design wind velocity. Base bending moments vary ±11% from average value from all
codes/standards considered, for suburban terrain, and the variation is ±22.5% and ±18% for heavy
suburban and urban terrain respectively, for SAB orientation of building. These variations for
respective terrains in LAB orientation of building are ±13.6%, ±27.75% and ±24.5%.
16 Along - Wind Response of a Tall Rectangular Building: A Comparative Study of International Codes/Standards With Wind Tunnel Data
7) The experimental results are showing more or less similar trend as by codes/standards for all
the terrains and both the orientations of building for GLF, peak acceleration, shear force and
base bending moment. However, there is deviation in the trend for LAB orientation in heavy
suburban terrain.
REFERENCES
1. Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ-2004), “Recommendations for loads on buildings”, (in English
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19. Holmes, J. D., Tamura, Y. and Krishna, P. (2009), “Comparison of wind loads calculated by fifteen
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21. Indian Standards IS: 875-Part 3 (1987), “Code of practice for design wind loads (other than earthquake)
for buildings and structures”, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi.
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for buildings and structures”, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi.
23. Isyumov, N. (1982), “The Aero-elastic Modelling of Tall Buildings”, Proceeding of International
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24. Kasperski, M. (2006), “The new ISO-Approach for codification of wind loads”, Journal of Wind and
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25. Kasperski, M. and Geurts, Chris. (2005), ‘’Reliability and Code Level’’, Wind & Structures, 8 (4),
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28. Lee, B. E., and Ng, W. K. (1988), ‘’Comparisons of estimated dynamic along-wind responses’’,
Journal of Wind. Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, Vol.30, pp 153-162.
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K. Mehta, eds., Wind Engineering Research Council, Lubbock, Tex.
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buildings”, EJSE especial issue: Loading on Structures, page 40-54.
33. NBCC. (1995), ‘’Commentary B-Wind Loads’’, User’s Guide-NBC 1995 Structural commentaries,
Canadian commission on building and fire codes, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Part 4.
34. Niemann, H. J. (2008), “The European wind loading Standard: Provisions and their background”,
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp 31-39.
35. Simiu, E. (1976), “Equivalent Static Wind Loads for Tall Building Design,” Journal of Structure
Division, ASCE, 102(4) 719-737.
36. Solari, G. (1982), “Along-wind response estimations, closed form solution,” Journal of Structure
Division, ASCE, 108(1) 225-244.
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Structure Engineering, 119 (2), 365–382.
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18 Along - Wind Response of a Tall Rectangular Building: A Comparative Study of International Codes/Standards With Wind Tunnel Data
39. Tamura, Y., Kareem, A., Solari, G., Kwok, C. S. K., Holmes, J. D. and Melbourne, W. H. (2005),
‘’Aspects of the dynamic wind-induced response of structures and codification’’, Wind & Structures,
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41. Vellozzi, J. and Cohen, H. (1968), “Gust response factors,” Journal of Structure Division, ASCE,
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42. Vickery, B. J. (1970), “On the reliability of gust loading factors”, Proceeding of Technical Meeting
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Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp 1-19. 19
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 20-32
Tracer Gas dispersion in an Urban Environment:
Scaling Considerations in wind tunnel testing
Amit Gupta1, Ted Stathopoulos2
1Research Associate, 2Professor
Centre for Building Studies, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3G 1M8
ABSTRACT
Tracer gas experiments were carried out on a 3-storey building in the wake of a 12 storey building to
investigate the dispersion of emissions from rooftop stacks. The tests were later simulated in a wind tunnel
at two geometric scales. A 1:500 model correctly matched the boundary layer scale but had stack flows that
were laminar. A 1:200 model provided turbulent stack flows but was oversized with respect to the boundary
layer flow. The accuracy of the simulations varied with the location of the stack and the receptor. Concentration
values obtained with the 1:500 model generally showed better agreement with the field data than the 1:200
results.
Key words : Building wake, full-scale tests, wind tunnel, dispersion, tracer gas
INTRODUCTION
Prediction of the dispersion of plumes emitted from rooftop stacks is often necessary to avoid potential
contamination of fresh air intakes of the emitting building or adjacent buildings. Dispersion
models that predict nearfield concentrations are available for simple building geometries ASHRAE (2003).
Flow around buildings is complicated Ahuja (2005). Thus, these models are not applicable in many cases
such as a low emitting building in the near-wake of a taller building. Addition on rooftop structures such as
penthouses or skylights further complicated the flow on building roofs, Amit et al. (2012a, 2012b). In
complex flow situations, fluid modeling using a wind tunnel or water channel provides the only practical
method for simulating the dispersion of building exhaust.
In some cases, relaxation of simulation criteria may be necessary due to various constraints. For example,
correct simulation requires that the scale of building models match the scale of the boundary layer flow.
However, in some cases a reduction in model size may be required to reduce wind tunnel blockage. On the
other hand, situations involving small full-scale buildings may require oversized models in order to
satisfy Reynolds Number criteria.
The effect of mismatching the model and boundary layer scales has not been studied extensively with
respect to dispersion modeling. Wilson has suggested that model results obtained for a given model building
are applicable to a range of full-scale building heights from one-half to twice that of the model building as
indicated by Wilson et al (1998). This assumption implies that the dimensions of the building wake and other
separated flow regions are not significantly affected by changes in the properties of the approaching flow
(e.g. turbulence intensity, turbulence scale). However, wind engineering studies have shown that the mis-
match of model and boundary layer scales can significantly affect the wind loads on the model building. Roy
and Holmes (1988) showed that the force coefficients may be significantly underestimated
when measurements are obtained with a model that is twice the correct size.
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 20-32 21
In the present study, concentration measurements have been obtained with a 1:500 scale model correctly
matched to the wind tunnel boundary layer but with a stack exhaust that was not turbulent.
Measurements were also obtained using a 1:200 scale model that was too large with respect to the boundary
layer flow. The tests were performed for the case of a tall building upwind of a low emitting building.
MODELING CRITERIA
The following criteria are generally considered to be sufficient for wind tunnel modeling of
dispersion of non-buoyant exhaust in a neutral atmosphere [ASHRAE (2001)]:
Similarity of wind tunnel boundary layer with the atmospheric surface layer (mean velocity
profile, turbulence intensity, turbulence scale)
Geometric similarity between model and full-scale
Building Reynolds number (Reb = U
HW
b/ν) should exceed 11,000
Stack Reynolds number (Res = w
ed
s/ν ) should exceed 2000 to ensure turbulent exhaust flow,
Stack momentum ratio (M = we/U
H) of the model should be equivalent to the full-scale value.
where we is the exhaust velocity, U
H is the wind speed at building height, ν is the kinematic viscosity of
air, Wb is the nominal building dimension and d
s is the stack diameter.
The wind tunnel used in the present study has a boundary layer scale of approximately 1:500. Thus, building
models constructed at a scale of 1:500 provide the most accurate simulation of the separated flow regions
around the buildings, as long as the building Reynolds No. criterion is satisfied. It is very important to
achieve correct turbulence in simulated flows. Vortex generators play an important role in controlling the
turbulence in wind tunnel flows. Further information on vortex generators can be found in Rajan et al.
(2009).
However, a potential disadvantage of a 1:500 model is the difficulty in achieving turbulent flow in the model
stack due to its small diameter. In the present study, the 1:500 model stack had a diameter of only 0.8 mm.
Consequently, values of Res were well below the minimum specified value of 2000, indicating the exhaust
flow was laminar. Wilson et al. (1998) suggest that the effect of a laminar velocity profile on the exhaust
momentum can be compensated for by adjusting the model values of exhaust momentum ratio, M = we/U
H,
to obtain the full-scale equivalent value by using the expression shown in equation (1)
Mfull-scale
= 1.414Mmodel
(1)
where:
Mfull-scale
= Exhaust momentum ratio at full scale
Mmodel
= Exhaust momentum ratio at model scale
In order to avoid difficulties associated with Res, experiments were also performed at a scale of 1:200. For
these tests, Res varied from 1960 to 4480 and thus the exhaust flow was either fully turbulent or was
approaching turbulent flow. The disadvantage of the 1:200 model is that it was oversized with respect to
boundary layer flow. Consequently the turbulence intensity and scale of the approaching flow were less than
those for the 1:500 model.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
Full-scale experiments
Full-scale experiments were performed on the roof of the 3-storey Building Engineering (BE) building
located in downtown Montreal on the campus of Concordia University. The building is surrounded by
buildings varying in height from 3 storeys to 15 storeys.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the dispersion of plumes from rooftop stacks for various stack
locations, stack heights and exhaust velocities. In the present study, results are presented for tests carried out
for nominally southwesterly winds. For this wind direction, the BE building was in the wake of the
12-storey Faubourg building (FB), as shown in Figure 1.
22 Tracer Gas dispersion in an Urban Environment:Scaling Considerations in wind tunnel testing
Figure 1: Location pf samples used in all field and wind tunnel experiments
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 20-32 23
Wind speed (UFB
), wind direction (θ) and turbulence parameters (σu, σθ) were obtained with a Young
anemometer placed on a 5 m mast on the roof of the FB building (height above ground was 55 m.). Wind
data and stack parameters for six field tests are shown in Table 1. Also shown are corresponding data for the
1:500 and 1:200 wind tunnel simulations. The reference wind speed varied between 4.1 m s-1 and 7.2 m s-1.
The details of the field test setup, location of samplers, location of anemometer and stacks are shown in
Figures 1 and 2 and detailed specifications of test parameters and atmospheric conditions are shown in Table 2.
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) was released from a 0.4 m diameter stack on the roof of the BE building. The stack
and the attached blower can be positioned at different locations. In the present study, locations near the
upwind building (SL3) and near the center of the roof (SL4) were chosen. The height of the stack was either
1m or 3m in the different tests. The influence of exhaust momentum on concentration profiles was
investigated by conducting tests at two exhaust speeds (we~7.5 m s-1, w
e~17.5 m s-1)
Air samples were collected using 15 automated samplers containing 10 sample bags. Twelve samplers were
placed on the roof of the BE building. The remaining three samplers were placed at the leeward edge of the
FB roof and collected samples at the top of the wall (approximately 2 m below the roof edge). The sampling
period for each bag was 5 minutes and thus, the total duration of a test was 50 minutes. Usually, two tests
were carried out per day.
In addition to the 10-bag samplers, a multi-syringe pump was used to obtain samples at different heights on
the leeward wall of the FB building. Using this method, only five 5-minute samples could be obtained
during each 50 minute test.
Figure 2: Elevation view of BE and Faubourg buildings
Faubourg Bldg. .
BE Bldg .
BE Bldg.
Anemometer
SL3 SL4
H= 50 m
U
51m
x
32m
Table 1 Exhaust and meteorological parameters for tests at full scale and different scales with taller building (FB)
present upstream of smaller (BE) emitting building
Full scale
Test date Stack
location
Wind dir.
(θ0)
Stack height
(m)
Wind speed at FB
bldg. ht. UFB(m/s)
Momentum
ratio (M)
Stack Reynolds
number (Re)
Aug-12 SL3 214 - 231 1 5.7 4.2 - 6.1 480000
Aug-12 SL3 208 - 231 1 5.9 1.9 -2.9 234667
Aug-26 SL3 204 - 229 3 7.2 1.4 - 2.3 205333
Aug-26 SL3 215 - 230 3 7.0 3.5 -5.3 472000
Oct-01 SL4 215 - 227 1 5.7 1.6 -2.6 194667
Oct-01 SL4 217- 236 1 6.8 3.1- 4.5 437333
1:200 model
Test date Stack
location
Wind dir.
(θ0)
Stack height
(m)
Wind speed at FB
bldg. ht. UFB(m/s)
Momentum
ratio (M)
Stack Reynolds
number (Re)
Aug-12 SL3 200 - 230 1 10.5 5.0 4480
Aug-12 SL3 200 - 230 1 10.5 2.2 1960
Aug-26 SL3 200 - 230 3 10.5 2.2 1960
Aug-26 SL3 200 - 230 3 10.5 4.5 4060
Oct-01 SL4 200 - 230 1 10.5 2.2 1960
Oct-01 SL4 200 - 230 1 10.5 3.5 2940
1:500 model
Test date Stack
location
Wind dir.
(θ0)
Stack height
(m)
Wind speed at FB
bldg. ht. UFB(m/s)
Momentum
ratio (M)*
Stack Reynolds
number (Re)
Aug-12 SL3 220 1 8.0 3.5 302
Aug-12 SL3 220 1 8.0 1.6 687
Aug-26 SL3 220 3 8.0 1.2 233
Aug-26 SL3 220 3 8.0 2.8 549
Oct-01 SL4 220 1 8.0 1.4 275
Oct-01 SL4 220 1 8.0 2.6 508
* Corrected for laminar flow, from [2]
Table 2 Experimental parameters for tests with Faubourg building upstream of BE building
Parameters Field Wind Tunnel
m
1:200 model scale
Wind Tunnelm
1:500 model scale
Zref (m) 120e , 300
e 0.6 0.6
Uref (m/s) 5.2 – 9e 12.5 13.0
UFB (m/s)b 4.1 - 7.0
m 10.5 8.0
Zo (m) 0.5 - 1.5c 0.66 1.65
Lx (m) 100e 0.4 0.4
σu/U(FB) 0.25 - 0.36m 0.12 - 0.13 0.19 - 0.20
Res 194500 – 480000m
1960 - 5000 233 - 508
ds (mm) 400 2.0 0.80
a UBE (m/s) is measured at 15 m (full scale height) from ground level using power law
b UFB (m/s) is measured at 55 m (full scale height) from ground level
c From Wieringa (1993)
e Estimated
m Measured
24 Tracer Gas dispersion in an Urban Environment:Scaling Considerations in wind tunnel testing
Wind tunnel experimental setup
Wind tunnel experiments were carried out in the boundary layer wind tunnel at Concordia University. The
wind tunnel working section is 1.8 m by 1.8 m and the length is 12.2 m. Models of the BE and FB buildings
and their surroundings were constructed at scales of 1:200 and 1:500. A certified mixture of nitrogen and
SF6 was emitted from the stack and the mean concentration of SF
6 was measured at various receptor
locations on the BE roof and the FB wall. A multi-syringe pump was used to obtain samples via plastic tubes.
A sampling time of 1 minute was used.
Figure 3 shows profiles of mean velocity and turbulence intensity (σu/U) measured in the wind tunnel
corresponding to the 1:500 and 1:200 models. Turbulence intensity data obtained by Engineering Sciences
Data Unit (ESDU 1985) and full-scale data from the present study are also shown. The mean velocity profile
had a power law exponent (α) of 0.3, indicating an urban or heavy suburban terrain. At the height of the
reference anemometer (55 m), the wind tunnel value of σu/U was only 0.13 - less than 50% of the mean
full-scale value. In contrast, σu/U at the reference height was 0.2 for the 1:500 model. Although this value
is below the ESDU and full-scale values, the 1:500 model more closely matched the boundary layer scale
than the 1:200 model.
An important parameter for modeling the dispersion of stack emissions is the exhaust momentum ratio,
M = we/U
h, where we is the exhaust velocity and U
h is the wind speed at the height of the BE building. In the
present study, Uh in the field and wind tunnel tests was determined using the power law with α = 0.3 to adjust
the wind speed obtained by the FB anemometer.
Concentration data are expressed in terms of the non-dimensional concentration coefficient, K, which is
defined as:
K = CUhH2(10-6)/Q
SF6(2)
Where:
C = Concentration in ppb
QSF6
= Emission rate of SF6 in m3s-1.
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 20-32 25
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Field data overview
Figure 4 shows the effect of M on mean values of K obtained on the BE roof and the top of the FB wall.
These results were obtained on Aug-26, 2002 with a 3 m stack at SL3. The exhaust velocity was 7.5 ms-1 in
the first test and approximately 17.5 ms-1 in the second test.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
U/Uref
Zfu
ll s
ca
le
(m)
V elocity prof ile at 1:500 scale
BE anemometer ht .
FB anemometer ht .
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
Zfu
ll s
ca
le (
m)
Turbulence intensity at
1:500 scale: Zo = 1.6 m
TI ≈ 0.20
Field TI bound
≈ 0.25 - 0.36
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
U/Uref
Zfu
ll s
ca
le
(m)
V elocity prof ile at 1:200 scale
BE anemometer ht .
FB anemometer ht .
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
Zfu
ll s
cale
(m
)
Turbulence intensity at
1:200 scale: Zo = 0.66 m
TI ≈ 0.13Field TI bound
≈ 0.25 - 0.36
σu/U
α = 0.30 ESDU (1985)
bounds: (Z0 = 0.7m)
α = 0.30
σu/U
a)
b)
ESDU (1985)
bounds: (Z0 = 0.7m)
Figure 3 : Mean velocity and turbulence profit a) model scale - 1:500 and b) model scale - 1:200
26 Tracer Gas dispersion in an Urban Environment:Scaling Considerations in wind tunnel testing
54 21
The K values shown in Figure 4 are typical of all field tests performed when the FB building was directly
upwind of the BE building. For the low M case (M = 1.7) maximum K values were obtained at BE roof
samplers close to the stack and the next highest K values occurred at the top of the FB leeward wall.
Concentrations were relatively low at the remaining BE roof samplers. A larger M value for the second test
(M = 3.9) reduced K near the stack by more than a factor of three. At most of the remaining BE samplers, K
values for M = 3.9 were only 20% to 30% lower than the low M values. Similar reductions occurred at the
top of the FB wall.
Figure 5 shows the variation of K with time at the three FB wall samplers for the first Aug. 26-02 test
(M = 1.7) field test. High correlation between the samplers is evident. The time series also indicate K
increased significantly from the beginning of the test to the end. The average K value for the three samplers
at T = 5 min was 150. For the last 3 sample periods (40<T<50), the average value of K was approximately
500.
Figure 4 : Comparison of field K for Aug. 26-02 field tests for low and high exhaust momentum
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 20-32 27
The trend indicated in Figure 5 may be due to an increase in wind speed during the test. Figure 6 shows that
the 5 min wind speed measured by the FB anemometer increased from 5.2 ms-1 at T = 5 min to 8.5 ms-1 at
T = 50 min. Wind direction changes may have also affected the data. However, in this case, ? was relatively
constant at 219º ± 10º, see Figure 6.
Figure 7 shows time series of K obtained at 3 BE roof samplers located near the stack (R4), near the middle
of the roof (R18) and on the roof of the penthouse (P2) on the leeward side of the building. Like the FB data,
K values obtained at these samplers increased during the test.
Figure 7: Concentration K time series for near (R4), mid (R18) and far (P2) sampler on BE roof for
low M - [Aug. 26-02-field test: Stack location 3]
1
10
100
1000
10000
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Sam pling tim e (m in)
k
S# R4_M=1.7
S# R18_M=1.7
S# P2_M=1.7
Hs = 3m
Figure 5 : Concentration K time series for samplers on FB wall, Aug. 26-20 field test : Stack location 3
Figure 6 : Wind direction and wind speed variation with time for Aug. 26-02 hour 1
10
100
1000
0 10 20 30 40 50
Sampling time (min)
k
S# FB1_M=1.7
S# FB2_M=1.7
S# FB3_M=1.7
Hr-1
hs = 3m
200
220
240
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Time (min.)
Win
d d
ire
cti
on
4
6
8
10
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Time (min.)
Win
d s
pe
ed
(m
/s)
28 Tracer Gas dispersion in an Urban Environment:Scaling Considerations in wind tunnel testing
Wind tunnel and field data comparsion
Figure 8a shows the variation of K with height on the FB wall for the first Aug 26 test (SL3, hs = 3 m, M
avg
= 1.7) and the corresponding wind tunnel tests performed using the 1:500 model and the 1:200 model. The
wind tunnel experiments were conducted using the average M-value for the field tests. As discussed
previously, the actual M value used for the 1:500 test was reduced from 1.7 to 1.2 to correct for the laminar
stack flow.
Regarding the field data, note that the range of 5-minute K values is shown along with the 50-minute mean
at each height. During each field test, 10 samples were generally obtained at the maximum height
(z = 0.85Hb) and 5 samples were obtained at the remaining heights.
The results clearly show that for this stack location, the 1:200 model, mismatched to the wind tunnel
boundary layer flow, produced significantly higher concentrations than the field values. The 1:200 K values
were at least a factor of 3 times the mean field value at each height. The 1:200 values are also well outside
the maximum K observed in the field test.
The 1:500 model, which approximately matches the scale of the wind tunnel boundary layer flow, produced
reasonable agreement with the field values on the upper part of the wall (z > 0.6Hb). However, at lower
heights, wind tunnel K values fall outside the band of field data. At the lowest measurement height
(z = 0.27Hb), the wind tunnel K value is less than 5% of the mean field value.
Figure 8b shows data for the SL3 stack obtained with a moderately high M (field Mavg
= 3.9). Comparison
with the low M data of Figure 8a shows that increasing M tends to reduce the maximum K values measured
on the wall. As with the low M test, the 1:200 model greatly overestimated the field data while the 1:500
model produced good agreement except at the lowest height.
The discrepancy between the 1:200 wall profile and field result may be due to the low turbulence intensity in
the wind tunnel compared to field value. As discussed in Hosker (1987), the level of turbulence in the
incident flow can have a significant effect on the size of the near wake. High turbulence causes shear layer
separating from the leading edges of a building to reattach to side walls, resulting in a reduction of wake size.
Thus, flow reattachment may have occurred on the FB side walls in the field tests but may have been absent
in the 1:200 wind tunnel tests.
Data obtained with a 1 m stack in the middle of the roof (SL4) for an average field M of 2.0 and 3.5 are
shown in Figures 8c and 8d respectively. For this stack location, the 1:200 model provides relatively good
agreement with the field data. Although the 1:200 data exceed the 50-min mean field values, the wind tunnel
data fall within the range of the 5-minute field samples at most heights. On the other hand, the 1:500 model
provides good agreement only at the sampler at the top of the FB wall. As z decreases, the wind tunnel K
decreases significantly while the field values show little variation with height. The reason for the large drop
in K as z decreases in the wind tunnel is not clear. Similar variation of concentration with height is evident
in the water channel results of Wilson et al. (1988) In that study, in which the upwind building height was
twice the height of the emitting building, maximum concentration near the top of the wall was
approximately five times the minimum value near the base for a wide range of M values. It is not clear why
the accuracy of the two wind tunnel simulations appear to vary with stack location. It may be associated with
the effect of incident turbulence on the flow in the near wake.
Figures 9a - 9b and 9c - 9d show K values obtained on the BE roof for stack locations SL3 and SL4,
respectively. The graphs show the variation of K with x/L, where x is the distance from the windward edge
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 20-32 29
and L is the length of the building. For each stack location, results are presented for low and moderate M
values. The stack height was 1 m in each case. Note that the field curves show the mean K values for each
50-minute test. The hatched region indicates the scatter of the 5-minute samples.
In general, the 1:500 model results compared well with the field data. At SL3, the wind tunnel K values were
within 25% of the mean field values. At SL4, larger discrepancies are evident. However, the data are
generally within a factor of two of the field values.
As with the FB wall results, roof concentrations obtained with the 1:200 model were less accurate than those
obtained with the 1:500 model when the stack was located at SL3. For this stack location, 1:200 model
significantly underestimated the maximum K value, which occurred near the stack. However reasonable
agreement with the field values was obtained at downwind locations ( x/L > 0.5). Results obtained with the
1:200 model for the centre roof stack (SL 4) were generally similar to the 1:500 data. For the low M case, the
maximum mean field concentration exceeded the 1:500 K value by a factor of two and the 1:200 K by a
factor of three. However, at the windward and leeward edges of the roof, both wind tunnel simulations
showed good agreement with the field data.
Figure 8 : Variation of K with height on FB wall for stack locations 3 and 4
L
U
L
Data plane
z H
L
X
U
X
L
Data plane
z H
0
0.25
0.5
0.75
1
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
k
Z/H
b
Field, M = 1.6-2.6
WT-1:200, M = 2.0
WT-1:500, M = 1.4
hs = 1m
0
0.25
0.5
0.75
1
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
k
Z/H
b
Field, M = 3.1-4.5
WT-1:200, M = 3.5
WT-1:500, M = 2.6
hs = 1m
0
0.25
0.5
0.75
1
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
k
Z/H
b
Field, M = 1.4-2.3
WT_1:200, M = 1.7
WT-1:500, M = 1.2
hs = 3m
0
0.25
0.5
0.75
1
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
k
Z/H
b
Field, M = 3.1-5.3
WT-1:200, M = 4
WT-1:500, M = 2.8
hs = 3m
Field maximum and
minimum bounds
a) c)
b) d)
30 Tracer Gas dispersion in an Urban Environment:Scaling Considerations in wind tunnel testing
For the moderate M case, (M = 3.5) shown in figure 9d, the 1:500 and 1:200 simulations produced generally
similar results. The wind tunnel K values were within the range of the 5-minute field values near the stack.
However, at the windward edge of the building, both simulations overestimated the mean field value by
approximately 70%.
CONCLUSIONS
The dispersion of emissions from a low-rise building downwind of a taller building was investigated using
field tests and wind tunnel experiments performed at model scales of 1:500 and 1:200. The 1:500 model
matched the scale of boundary layer flow but had laminar stack flows. The 1:200 model provided turbulent
stack flows but was oversized with respect to the boundary layer.
In both the field and wind tunnel tests, high concentrations were measured at the top of the leeward wall of
the upwind building and near the stack on the emitting building. The accuracy of the wind tunnel simulations
varied with stack and receptor location.
Concentration data obtained with 1:500 model generally showed better agreement with the field data than
the 1:200 data. This suggests that the turbulent properties of the approaching flow are important for proper
modelling of plume dispersion in the near wake of a building. On the other hand, the existence of laminar
flow in model stacks may not produce significant errors for emission sources located in building wakes.
Figure 9 : Variation of plume centerline K with distance on BE roof for Stack locations 3 and 4
0
1000
2000
3000
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
x/L
k
Field, M = 1.9-2.9
WT-1:200, M = 2.2
WT-1:500, M = 1.1
Stack
location
hs = 1m
0
300
600
900
1200
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
x/L
k
Field, M =4.2-6.1
WT-1:200, M = 5
WT-1:500, M = 3.5
Stack
location
hs = 1m
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
x/L
k
Field, M = 1.6-2.6
WT-1:200, M = 2.2
WT-1:500, M = 1.5
Stack
location
hs = 1m
0
300
600
900
1200
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
x/L
kField, M = 3.1-4.5
WT-1:200, M = 3.5
WT-1:500, M = 2.5
Stack
locationhs = 1m
L
X
U
X
L
Data plane z
H
L
X
U
X
L
zH
Data plane Field maximum and
minimum bounds
g p
a) c)
b) d)
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 20-32 31
REFERENCES
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32 Tracer Gas dispersion in an Urban Environment:Scaling Considerations in wind tunnel testing
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 33-53
ABSTRACT
This paper presents a comparative study of different wind characteristics pertaining to dynamic wind load for
three terrain categories namely: sub-urban, heavy sub-urban and urban as given in different international
wind codes and standards. The different codes used in the present study include Japanese, Australia/
New-Zealand, American, British/European, Canadian, Hong-Kong, Chinese and Indian [existing (1987) as
well as proposed (2011)]. Experimental results for above terrain categories are also compared with different
standards and available literature. Wind characteristics include mean wind velocity, turbulent intensity
profiles, integral length scale of turbulence and power spectral density. The differences in various codes
standards for the above parameters have been discussed with reasons.
Key words: Wind characteristics, Wind codes and standards, Terrain categories, Velocity profile.
NOTATION
H Height of building (m) x Reduced frequency
b Width of building (m) R Roughness factor
d Depth/length of building (m) n, f Eddy frequency
u Mean wind velocity at height z vo
Basic wind velocity (m/s)
u* Shear velocity LZ Turbulent length scale at any height (m)
ug
Mean wind velocity at gradient height VZ Hourly mean wind velocity (m/s)
α Power law index na
First mode frequency of building (Hz)
β Critical damping ratio LH
Turbulent length scale at building height (m)
ρair
Density of air N Effective reduced frequency
φ Factor to account for second order turbulent
intensity
G Gust factor CeH
Exposure factor
ZeZ ,. Reference height (m) VD/ V
aUp-crossing frequency (Hz)
zo
Roughness length (m) K A factor related to surface roughness coefficient
of the terrain
T Averaging time σu
Standard deviation (σ) of fluctuating wind
velocity component in longitudinal direction
IZ Turbulent intensity at height Z xLu
length scale of turbulence in longitudinal
wind direction
z Height above ground level Su
Power spectral density function
zg
Gradient height k2
Terrain, height factor
B, b1, b
2Constants
Comparison of Codal Values and Experimental Data Pertaining to
Dynamic Wind Characteristics
Nikhil Agrawal1, V. K. Gupta2, Amit Gupta3, Achal Mittal4
1Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee ([email protected])2 Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee ([email protected])
3 Structural and Wind Engineering Consultant, Roorkee ([email protected])4 Principal Scientist, Structural Engineering Group, CSIR-CBRI Roorkee ([email protected])
Usual meaning of notation unless/otherwise mentioned in the text
INTRODUCTION
Wind loads are the typical dynamic loads on buildings and the wind-induced effects on buildings are deter-
mined by wind characteristics, aerodynamic and dynamic properties. The approaching wind
characteristics are largely controlled by the roughness of the upwind fetch over which it blows (assuming
that the fetch is relatively flat). The ways in which characteristics of the approaching wind are incorporated
by various wind codes and standards are very different.
Several studies have been carried out in past that focus on the comparison of wind loads and
corresponding building responses, estimated with different codes and standards. Limited information is avail-
able on comparison of wind characteristics. A few relevant studies are presented in the following text.
Zhou et. al. (2002) presented a comparative study on maximum wind load effects in the along wind direction
for open and urban terrains, highlighting that each code and standard employs unique definitions of wind field
characteristics such as mean velocity profile, turbulent intensity profile, wind spectra,
turbulence length scale and wind correlation, which may lead to significant variations in estimating Gust
loading factor, mean wind loads. Correspondingly these parameters lead to significant variation in the
estimates of the equivalent static wind load and associated wind-induced load effects. Different mathematical
forms and properties of wind spectra for along wind response have been discussed in detail by Tamura et. al.
(2005). Spectral densities used in various wind codes and standards are tabulated, apart from a comparison
of gust loading factors. The authors reviewed the wind induced response of building using major codes and
standards, and also discussed the combined effects of along wind, across-wind and torsional wind load
components along with dynamic characteristics of building.
Emphasis on the topics of terrain and exposure, shielding and amplification, topographic effects, tropical
cyclone and hurricane wind have been given for their codification in wind loading codes and
standards by Holmes et.al. (2005). Different laws for velocity-height profile, turbulence profile have been
discussed in detail and comparison of codal provisions on terrain-height profile has also been presented.
Choi (2009) discussed the roughness classification, terrain category and wind profiles in different wind codes.
In addition, a set of terrain categories and corresponding wind profiles were proposed. Some
inconsistencies in the way that terrain categories are specified in various codes have been pointed out.
Pictorial presentation of the terrain categories for physical understanding of these has been presented.
Lee and Ng (1988) and Kikitsu et. al. (2003) compared international building codes for dynamic along wind
response and peak pressure coefficients. Inconsistencies have been observed among codes due to differ-
ences in the different wind parameters. Kijewski and Kareem (1998) carried out a comparative study of
provisions given in different wind codes and standards for along-wind, across-wind and torsional responses
for a given building.
Although sufficient work has been carried out on codes and standards but a comprehensive
review of different wind characteristics, particularly for rough terrains has not been carried out in the past.
The Codes and Standard considered are:
Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ-2004) Recommendations for Loads on Buildings.
Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE 7-05).
34 Comparison of Codal Values and Experimental Data Pertaining to Dynamic Wind Characteristics
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 33-53 35
Australian Standard: Minimum Design Loads on Structures (AN/NZS 1172.2:2002).
National Building Code of Canada (NBCC-1995).
British/European Standard: Euro-code 1: Actions on Structures (BS EN 1991-1-4:2005).
Code of Practice on Wind Effects in Hong-Kong (CPWEHK-2004).
Code of Practice for Design Loads for Buildings and Structures IS: 875(Part-3)-1987 (Existing).
Code of Practice for Design Loads for Buildings and Structures IS: 875(Part-3)-2011 (Proposed).
China National Standard (GB50009-2001).
A comparison of formulation for wind characteristics in wind codes and standards for different terrain
categories is presented in this study. The following sections will first review the basic wind
characteristics such as the mean wind velocity profile, turbulent intensity profile, integral length scale of
turbulence and power spectral density and then present a comparative study of these characteristics for tall
buildings located in rough (sub-urban, heavy sub-urban and urban) terrains based on different wind loading
codes and standards. The results of experimental programme have been presented along with the codal
values.
MEAN WIND VELOCITY PROFILES
Conventionally, the first representation of the mean wind profile in horizontal homogeneous terrain has been
the power law, given in equation (1),
(1)
where α is the power law exponent, u is the mean wind velocity at a height z above ground level, and
subscript ref indicates a condition of reference height (usually taken as 10 meters).
Value of α generally varies from 0.10 in coastal area (open) to 0.37 in city centre (very rough terrain)
locations. The advantage of such an approach lies in its simplicity and usability. However, it has a drawback
that it does not work near to the ground surface as the gradient of the curve is infinite as z approaches zero.
Consequently, it provides a poor fit to experimental data near to the ground surface. Nonetheless its use
continues in a significant number of international codes and standards, where the reference height is
generally taken as the gradient height (zg). At gradient height the movement of air is no longer affected by
ground roughness. Here α and zg both depends on terrain roughness and on the averaging time used in the
calculation of wind speed.
Due to above limitation, some codes (refer Table 1) have adopted the logarithmic velocity profile (eq.2),
(2)
where u* is the shear velocity , τ is the shear stress at ground level, ρ is air density, κ is Von Karman
constant approximately equal to 0.4, and zo is the surface roughness length which varies with the type of
terrain. When expressed in terms of reference velocity and reference height, it becomes (eq. 3)
α
=
refref z
z
u
u
=
=
oo z
zu
z
zuu ln*5.2ln
*
κ
ρτ
(3)
This approach has the advantage of having better theoretical background comes from classical boundary
layer theory and provides better approximation close to ground level. It is valid in the bottom of 20 to 30 %
of the boundary layer, Stathopoulos (2007). However, this approach gives a poor fit to experimental data for
heights greater than 30 to 50 m, Holmes et. al. (2005).
For avoiding this, a number of codes and standards (refer Table 1) have adopted the logarithmic format but
with additional linear and non-linear terms. Perhaps the most sophisticated model of this type is that of
Deaves and Harris (1981), which is based on a rigorous similarity analysis of the atmospheric boundary
layer. The velocity profile is given by
(4)
The theory of Deaves and Harris gives values for gradient height explicitly. Near ground z=0, equation 4
reduces to unmodified logarithmic format (eq. 2). Whilst more complex than the power law (eq. 1) and
unmodified logarithmic law (eq. 2) approaches, this method incorporated a rigorous analytical background,
and gives good fit to the velocity variation over large height range.
The above discussion has assumed that the velocity profile extends down to ground level. However, for
urban terrain this is not the case. To remedy this, it is assumed that the "effective" ground level will be above
the actual ground level by replacing z by z-zd, where z
d is the zero plane displacement. This is allowed in
several codes and standards. Here d is determined empirically and is the function of nature, height and the
distribution of roughness elements. Typical value of this parameter is usually around 0.8 times the average
building/local roughness height (Simiu and Scanlan 1996).
TURBULENCE INTENSITY PROFILES
The turbulent intensity is defined as the ratio of the standard deviation (σ) of fluctuating wind to mean wind
speed for a given duration as:
(5)
There are two fundamental methods of estimating values of turbulent intensity for dynamic structural
response. The first approach is similar to the power law approach for velocity profiles and is given by:
(6)
=
o
g
o
g
z
z
z
z
u
u
ln
ln
+
−
−
+
×=
432
25.033.188.175.5ln*5.2ggggg z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
zuu
uI
σ=
βσ
×=
g
u
z
zk
u
36 Comparison of Codal Values and Experimental Data Pertaining to Dynamic Wind Characteristics
where σu is the standard deviation of fluctuating wind velocity component in longitudinal direction, k and β are
simple functions of chosen reference height and power law exponent. This approach has the same
advantages and drawbacks as the power law (Holmes et. al. 2005). For a classic rough wall turbulent
boundary layer the stream-wise turbulence component is given by
(7)
where δ is the boundary layer thickness. If this equation and the logarithmic law are used together they result
in the following expression for the longitudinal turbulent intensity, in the lower part of the boundary layer
where (z/δ) tends to zero.
(8)
Many codes and standards (refer Table 6) use expressions similar to this equation 8. Since logarithmic law is
not valid for z > 100m, this expression is also valid up-to 100m. The theory of Deaves and Harris also results
in an expression that is theoretically valid throughout this boundary layer. This is given by
(9)
The use of this equation with the logarithmic law velocity profile (eq. 2) enables an expression for turbulent
intensity to be derived.
TURBULENT LENGTH SCALE FOR LONGITUDINAL WIND DIRECTION
Integral length scales of turbulence are the measure of the size of vortices or average size of eddies in a given
wind direction (Dyrbye and Hansen 1997). The integral length scales depends on the height z, zo and wind
velocity at a site. There are several methods to calculate the values of length scale from measured data.
Harris (1986) carried out extensive analysis of equations for calculating length scale deduced from existing
spectrum formulas. However, these formulas have several parameters, which are complex and not easy to
apply in wind tunnel tests.
In general, length scale of turbulence in longitudinal direction (xLu ) can be estimated using the following
equation:
(10)
−×=δ
σ z
u
u 8.015.2*
=
o
u
z
zuln
1σ
+
+×
−×
=
−
o
g
z
z
ogu
z
z
z
z
z
z
u
g
6156.01
ln09.0538.015.7
*
6/1
1
σ
∫∞
==
0
)()(. ττ dRuTuL ux
ux
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 33-53 37
where xTu is the time scale of longitudinal turbulence in along wind direction, u is the mean wind speed, and
R(τ) is the cross-correlation function of measured time history data.
In this paper, four methods are presented to estimate the values of turbulent length scale from measured
data.
Counihan (1975) has suggested the following empirical expression (eq.11) for estimating longitudinal
integral length scale for z ranging from 10m to 240m:
(11)
where c and m depend on roughness length (zo). According to Counihan, integral length scales decrease with
increasing surface roughness. The opposite variation is specified by ESDU - 85020, Simiu and Scanlan
(1996).
In addition to equation 11, length scale can be estimated using the existing spectrum expressions, for
example, using Von Karman spectrum at the natural frequency n = 0 is:
(12)
where Su(z,0) is the value of power spectral density function at frequency n = 0 at height z.
Another empirical formulation recommended by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE, 1999) is:
(13)
where is the reduced frequency of structure for which length scale is a maximum. As per
ESDU (75001), length scale of turbulence is estimated by
(14)
WIND SPECTRA
It describes the distribution of turbulence with frequency. This spectrum (i.e. spectral density function)
represents the contribution of various ranges of frequencies to the variance (σ2, square of standard deviation
for wind velocity components).
The following three conditions are generally used to estimate the power spectral density:
1. The value of spectra for n=0 is:
(15)
where lu is the integral length scale of turbulence.
mu
x zcL ×=
)(
)0,()()(
2 z
zSzuzL
u
uu
x
σ=
mu
x
f
zL
π2=
unzfm /=
( )
×=
063.0
35.0
25
o
ux
z
zmL
u
lS uu
u
24)0(
σ=
38 Comparison of Codal Values and Experimental Data Pertaining to Dynamic Wind Characteristics
2. The area under the spectral curve equals to the total variance of fluctuating wind speed, and is then
consistent with turbulence intensity :
(16)
3. At high frequencies, where B is in the range of 0.10 to 0.15.
Different spectral models available to describe the distribution of power spectral density are presented below:
Von-Karman (1948)
(17)
This spectrum satisfies all three conditions. In case of condition#3, B is 0.12.This spectrum can be used in
applications where the effect of low frequency component could be important such as analysis of structures
having long natural period of vibrations. This is the most common form for the longitudinal velocity
component developed by Von Karman (1948) and adapted by Harris (1968).
Modified Kaimal (1972)
(18)
This eq. satisfies condition#1 of power spectra only for assumed ratio of b1 to b
2 0.67. Condition#2 is also
satisfied if b1=4 and b
2=6 are chosen. Value of B in condition#3 should be taken as 0.2 (which is outside the
range) to satisfy Kaimal's spectra.
For built-up terrain, the equation overestimates the result of structural response by 5%. This equation is
satisfactory, if the response of structure does not depends significantly upon the shape of the spectrum in
lower frequency range.
Davenport (1961)
(19)
This equation has been obtained by averaging the result of measurements obtained at various heights above
ground level. It overestimates the longitudinal spectra of turbulence in the high frequency range by 100-400%.
1
)(
02
=∫∞
dnnS
u
u
σ 3/2
2
)(−
=
u
nlB
nnS u
u
u
σ
6/52
2
8.701
4)(
+
=
u
nl
u
nl
nnS
u
u
u
u
σ
3/52
2
1
2
1
)(
+
=
u
nlb
u
nlb
nnS
u
u
u
u
σ
3/42
2
1
67.0)(
+
=
u
nL
u
nL
nnS
u
u
σ
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 33-53 39
In case of Davenport spectrum, condition#1 is satisfied but condition#2 is not satisfied. Assuming the length
scale L, to have a value 11.9 lu, condition#3 is satisfied.
Although all three spectral forms satisfy the condition#1 and condition #3, only Von-Karman spectrum
satisfies all three conditions.
TERRAIN AND EXPOSURE CATEGORIES
It has long been recognized that wind speed varies with height and the variation is related to the drag on the
wind as it blows over upstream areas, the drag among other things being related to the roughness of the
ground (zo). To cater to these varying roughness conditions, different terrain categories are specified in
different wind load codes and standards. The roughest terrain type with zo=2m-3m is usually specified for
the large city center or urban situation, whilst the smoothest is either defined as flat open terrain or as a
coastal situation with zo=0.001 m.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAME
The experiments have been carried out in the BLWT at Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. This is an
open circuit, continuous flow, suction type tunnel using single blower fan (125 HP) having a test section of
2.1 m × 2.0 m size. The length of test section is 15 m. Further details regarding wind tunnel at IIT Roorkee
are pronounced in Asawa et. al.(1985).
Part of an experimental study reported in this paper, has focused on wind flow characteristics generated in
the BLWT.
Five numbers Counihan type elliptical wedge vortex generator elements, along with a 15cm high barrier
wall and cubical roughness blocks of 5cm, 7cm, 10cm and 15cm have been used for generating the different
boundary layer profiles in the tunnel.
For the measurement of velocity fluctuations, constant temperature hot-wire anemometer system from 'Dentec'
was used. The hot-wire probe and the associated instrumentation were calibrated to give a voltage-velocity
relationship, to enable conversion of the acquired raw voltages to the wind velocities. Calibration has been
carried out in a smooth uniform flow at 24 different velocities, with turbulence level not exceeding 0.5% at
1.0m height in the test section. Static velocity head was measured using a standard pitot-tube connected to a
highly sensitive MKS Baratron (capacitance type) transducer and its digital display unit. Corresponding
head was converted to velocities and simultaneous values of voltage output at mean value unit of hot-wire
system were recorded for a range of wind speed between 2m/s and 12m/s. Instantaneous velocity fluctua-
tions have been recorded at a sampling frequency of 4 KHz for duration of approximately 4 seconds, viz, a
total of 16384 samples are recorded at each point for flow characteristic measurement.
DESCRIPTION OF WIND CHARACTERISTICS FOR DIFFERENT CODES AND
STANDARDS
Power Law Exponent (ααααα) and Surface Roughness Length (zo)
In order that codes with wind profiles specified using Power Law can also be compared with others using
logarithmic law, the following approximate equation is used for conversion (Choi Edmund 2009)
40 Comparison of Codal Values and Experimental Data Pertaining to Dynamic Wind Characteristics
(20)
where Z1=10m and Z
2=100m are set.
Another simple relation between power law exponent, surface roughness and the turbulent intensity is given
by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency, U.S -1981)
(21)
These two formulae have been used in this study for the conversion purpose.
Table 1 shows how the methods (presented in this paper for mean velocity and turbulent intensity profiles)
are adopted by major codes and standards. It is to be noted that the number of terrain specified in various
codes are different and vary from 1 to 5. For example, Hong Kong has only one terrain type whereas Japan
has five types.
=
OZ
ZZ 21ln
1α
=
o
o
z
z
zIu
ln
30ln
(%) α
Table 1 Summary of terrain-height and averaging time format in various wind codes
Code/Standard
Number of terrain Velocity and Turbulence
Intensity Profiles
Averaging Time for
basic wind velocity
definition categories
IS:875 (Part 3)-1987 4 Power Law 3-sec
IS:875 (Part 3)-2011 4 Log Law 3-sec
HK-2004 1 Log Law 1 hr
AIJ 2004 5 Power Law 10 min
AS/NZS1170.2:2002 4 Deaves and Harris 3 sec
ASCE-7-05 3 Power Law 3 sec
BS EN 1991-1-4.2005 5 Log Law 10 min
NBCC (1995) 3 Power Law 1 hr
GB 50009-2001 4 Power Law 10 min
ISO/FDIS 4354: 2008 4 Deaves and Harris 3 sec
SNiP 2.01.07-85 3 Power Law 10 min
The averaging time for basic wind velocity employed in different codes and standards are also summarized in
Table 1. For the purpose of comparison, the conversion factor for 3second gust velocity and 10minute mean
from 1hour mean wind velocity is given in Table 2 (Simiu and Scanlan 1996). For example, a 3sec.
gust velocity for sub-urban terrain will be 1.4 times the mean velocity for 1hour.
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 33-53 41
Table 2 Conversion factors for 1-hour averaging time
Terrain Categories/Averaging Time 3 Seconds 10 Minutes
Sub-Urban (zo=0.2m) 1.40 1.05
Heavy Sub-Urban (zo=0.7m) 1.47 1.06
Urban (zo=2m) 1.54 1.07
Basic wind speed profile simulation parameters specified in different codes and standards are presented in
Table 3 for sub-urban, heavy sub urban and urban terrains. Indian Standards (both existing as well as pro-
posed) and ISO (2008) do not specify any value for heavy suburban terrain. It may be noted that a large gap
exist in Indian Standards between suburban (α=0.18) and urban (α=0.36) terrain, that affects the design of
any structures. As sub-urban terrain gives conservative values while urban provides unsafe values for design
forces. Further, Australian/New-Zealand code does not categorize heavy sub-urban terrain in its code, but
allows linear interpolation between different terrain categories. Canadian Code does not specify any value
for terrain corresponding to α=0.15 to α=0.25. On the other hand Hong-Kong code provides the value for a
single general terrain category.
The city centre classification (Exposure A), was discontinued in the American Code (ASCE7-05), but for
comparison purpose, it is taken from an earlier version of same (ASCE 7-98). This terrain category is also
not included in British/European Standard (BS EN 1991-1-4.2005).
Table 3 Values of Basic Wind Speed Profile Simulation Parameters in Different Codes and Standards
Code/Standard
Sub-Urban Heavy Sub-Urban Urban/City Centre
Exponent Roughness
length (m) Exponent
Roughness
length (m) Exponent
Roughness
length (m)
IS:875 (Part 3)-1987 0.18 0.12 - - 0.36 1.96
IS:875 (Proposed) 0.20 0.20 - - 0.31 2.0
HK-2004 0.11 0.0035 0.11 0.0035 0.11 0.0035
AIJ 2004 0.20 0.20 0.27 1.28 0.35 1.82
AS/NZS1170.2:2002 0.20 0.2-0.4 0.26 0.4-1.0 0.34 2.0
ASCE-7-05 0.20 0.10 0.25 0.30 0.33** 2.0**
BS EN 1991-1-
4.2005 0.21 0.30 0.28 1.0 - -
NBCC (1995) - - 0.25 0.58 0.36 1.97
GB 50009-2001 - - 0.22 0.30 0.30 1.0
ISO/FDIS 4354:
2008 0.22 0.30 - - 0.31 3.0
SNiP 2.01.07-85 0.20 0.18 0.25 0.90 - -
Note- (1) Values in Italics font are estimated by given conversation formulae or logarithmic plot of velocity profile.
(2)**ASCE-7 (95)
Limited information could be obtained for the Chinese code (GB 50009-2001), Russian code (SNiP 2.01.07-
85) and ISO standard (4354: 2008). It appears that Chinese code does not specify any value for terrain
corresponding to α= 0.15 to α=0.22. Russian code provides value of α up-to 0.25 only.
Table 4 shows the comparison of roughness length and power law exponent obtained from experiments for
three different terrains, as given in literature. Experimental values of α in present study as well as by Wang
and Stathopoulos (2007) are close to values recommended by Indian & Canadian respectively.
42 Comparison of Codal Values and Experimental Data Pertaining to Dynamic Wind Characteristics
ASCE and BS EN Standards give approximately same value of turbulent intensity. It is noted that, the values
are significantly higher than those with other codes and standards, especially for H>75m. Japanese and
Australian codes initially have a narrow gap between their turbulent intensity values but this gap increases as
the height increases up-to 300m, and after more than 300m height the gap has disappeared.
Heavy Sub Urban terrain
Figure 2 represents the variation of mean wind velocity and turbulent intensity with height for heavy
sub-urban terrain (0.21 < α ≤ 0.29). Present experimental data shows similar trend for mean wind velocity as
other codes and standards, but lower values up-to 175m. This heavy sub urban terrain does not exist in
Indian standards (1987 and 2011), and a very large gap exists between terrain category III (α=0.18) and
category IV (α=0.36). Thus, there appears to be a need for more refined terrain category classification for
Indian Standards.
Similarly, in AS/NZS Standard this terrain is not defined, but they allow linear interpolation. HK code shows
same values as in the suburban and urban terrain category.
Figure 2.Mean wind velocity and turbulent intensity profile for heavy-suburban terrain in codes and
standards for corresponding value of ααααα
Chinese Code shows the highest value of mean wind velocity despite of lower power law exponent because
it considers twice the value of the power law exponent, while calculating mean wind velocity as shown in
Table 5. BS-EN Standard and AIJ Code give the almost same value up-to 150m height. However, for greater
heights, the values are different with maximum difference of 11.12% at 400m height.
Present experimental data follow the BS EN Standard for H<175m. However, for H>175m the values are
higher than the BS EN Standard values but lower than the others codes and standards.
Up-to 150m ASCE, BS-EN, NBCC and AIJ turbulent intensity values lie near the zone of turbulent intensity
specified by ESDU guidelines in spite of having different values of exponent or roughness length values.
Hong-Kong has the unique profile for all terrains.
BS-EN Standards considers the much higher values of turbulent intensity at lower heights than the others,
ranging between 18%-43%, in spite of having lower value of roughness length (1m) than AIJ code (1.28m).
This may be because of higher value of gradient height considered by Japanese Code.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Ht
(m)
Velocity (m/s)
HK-2004 (0.11)
AIJ-2004 (0.27)
ASCE 7-05 (0.25)
NBCC 1995 (0.25)
Present Study (0.25)
BS EN (0.29)
CHINA-GB 50009-2001 (0.22)
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45
Ht
(m)
Turbulent Intensity (%)
HK-2004(0.11)
AIJ-2004 (0.27)
ASCE 7.05 (0.25)
NBCC-1995 (0.25)
Present Study (0.25)
ESDU (0.23)
ESDU (0.28)
BS EN (0.29)
46 Comparison of Codal Values and Experimental Data Pertaining to Dynamic Wind Characteristics
Urban terrain
Figure 3 shows mean velocity and turbulent intensity profiles for urban terrain (α > 0.29). The existing and
proposed Indian Standards give the same values of velocity at all height despite of using different approach
for velocity estimation.
AIJ 2004, AS/NZS 2002, ASCE 7.05, NBCC, BS EN.2004 codes show a variation of 5-20%, 7-17%, 12-
31%, 11-35, 18-22% respectively with Indian Standard (1987) for H>100m and for lower heights (<30m)
this variation is very high (>200%) for HK Code.
Chinese code shows higher values of velocity at all heights than any other code except Hong-Kong at lower
heights. However, Indian Standards give lower values at all heights despite of having the highest value of
power law exponent. The reason behind the greater value of velocity by Chinese code is that they use a
multiplier of 2 to the power law index coefficient of their exposure coefficient formula.
Figure 3.Mean wind velocity and turbulent intensity profile for urban terrain in codes and standards
for corresponding value of ααααα
Present experiment results are in good correlation with other codes and literature. At H>100m experimen-
tal values follow AIJ and Indian Standard (1987) and at lower heights trend is similar to Khanduri results
and is different from Indian Standard (1987).
Indian Standard (1987) provides high value of turbulent intensity for H<75m and lower values at greater
height (H>200m) as compare to other codes/standards. The proposed and existing Indian Standards have
significant variation in their turbulent intensity values at all heights. It is noted that Indian Standard (1987)
does not provide any value of turbulent intensity below 40m.
AIJ and IS: 875-1987 codes show a very similar trend of values for turbulent intensity at H>150m. Similarly
AS/NZS and Indian Standard (proposed) show the similar values of turbulent intensity at H>100m. ASCE 7-
95, shows the greater values at H>75 m and significant difference of 121.2% and 62.4% at H=400m with
Indian Standard (existing) and Indian Standard (proposed) respectively. NBCC shows the variation of 10
87% at H>100m and less than 30% for H<75m with Indian standard (1987).
It may be pertinent to note that American as well as British/European Standard discontinued this category
from latest versions ASCE-7 and recommend wind tunnel study for such terrains.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Ht
(m)
Velocity (m/s)
IS-875-1987 (0.36)
IS-875-2011 (0.31)
HK-2004 (0.11)
AS/NZS 1170.2.2002 (0.34)
AIJ-2004 (0.35)
NBCC 1995 (0.36)
Present Study (0.33)
CHINA-GB 50009-2001 (0.30)
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Ht
(m)
Turbulent Intensity (%)
IS:875-1987 (0.36)
IS:875-2011 (0.31)
HK-2004 (0.11)
AS/NZS 1170.2.2002 (0.34)
AIJ-2004 (0.35)
NBCC-1995 (0.36)
Present Study (0.33)
Khanduri et. al. (0.36)
ASCE 7.95 (0.33)
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 33-53 47
Table 6 Turbulent intensity profile in codes and standards
Turbulent Intensity Profile
Sub-Urban Heavy Sub-Urban Urban
IS-875
(Proposed)
( )7
3 1,4,1,3,
ZZZZ
IIII
−×+∗=
_
×−=
0.21358.0466.0 104,
ZLogIZ
HK-2004 11.0
901055.0
−
×=H
I Z 11.0
901055.0
−
×=H
I Z 11.0
901055.0
−
×=H
I Z
AS/NZS
1170.2.2002 Table 6.1
AIJ-2004 25.0
4501.0
−
×=
ZIZ
32.0
5501.0
−
×=
ZIZ
40.0
6501.0
−
×=
ZIZ
ASCE 7-05 6/1
1015.0
×=
ZIZ
6/110
30.0
×=
ZIZ **
6/110
45.0
×=
ZIZ
NBCC (1995) _ He
ZC
KI
25.0=
K=0.1 and 5.0
7.125.0
×=Z
CHe
HeZ
C
KI
25.0=
K=0.14 and 72.0
304.0
×=Z
CHe
BS EN 1991-
1-4.2005
=
3.0ln
1
ZIZ
=
0.1ln
1
ZIZ
_
It is observed from Figure 1, 2 & 3 that there is large variation among the values of turbulent intensity as the
terrain category changes from sub-urban to urban terrain. Since there is a large variation in turbulent
intensity as the terrain category moves from sub-urban to urban terrain, it appears to be logical that wind
tunnel study should be carried out for rougher terrains. Similar recommendation has also been made by
American and British/European Standards
Turbulent Length Scales
Table 7. shows the different formule used for estimating turbulent length scale in codes and standards.
Hong-Kong code gives the maximum value of length scale at all heights and for all three terrains due a
multiplier of thousand in its length scale formula as shown in the the Table 7. The existing Indian code show
slightly lower values of turbulent length scale than Hong-Kong, but much higher than others codes/
standards. Length scales in existing Indian code has been determined by Figure 8 in (IS:875 (Part 3) 1987).
This log-log graph is plotted between length scale and building height for different terrains. NBCC adopted
only a single value of length scale for all terrain, at all heights that is 1220m given by Davenport. Other the
codes/standards seem to show close variation of length scale because of different multipliers and powers
used in their respective codes.
It is interesting to note that in many codes like HK, AS/NZS and AIJ, length scale depends only on height
and is independent of roughness of terrain. Only the Indian Standards and BS-EN standard take the variation
of both height and terrain roughness, as also specified in the Table shown below.
48 Comparison of Codal Values and Experimental Data Pertaining to Dynamic Wind Characteristics
Table 7 Turbulent length scales in different codes and standards
Codes/Standards Turbulent Length Scale (m)
IS-875 (Proposed)
0.25
10
h
×c
c depends on terrain category (c=85 for I, II, III terrain and 70 for IV terrain category)
HK-2004 0.25
10
h1000
×
AS/NZS 1170.2.2002 0.25
10
h85
×
AIJ-2004 0.5
30
h100
×
ASCE 7-05
ε
×
10
zl
l and ε depend on terrain type (table 6-2 in respective code)
NBCC (1995) 1220
BS EN 1991-1-4.2005
ZoZ
ln05.65.0
200300
+
×
zo depends on type of exposure
ESDU
×
063.0
35.0
25Zo
Z
zo depends on terrain type
*Note here h and z are in meter
For clear understanding about the variation in the LH the graph for all three terrain categories have been
shown in Figure 4. Experimental values obtained from wind tunnel tests are consistent with other codes and
standards and not with the existing Indian Standard. It may be noted that proposed Indian Standard is
harmonized with rest of the international wind codes/standards.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Ht
(m)
Turbulent Length Scale (m)
Sub-Urban Terrain
IS 875-1987 (0.18)
IS 875-2011 (0.18)
HK-2004
AS/NZS 1170.2.2002
AIJ-2004
NBCC-1995
BS EN-2004 (0.21)
Present Study (0.19)
ESDU-1976 (0.20)
ASCE.7.05 (0.20)
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Ht
(m)
Turbulent Length Scale (m)
Heavy Sub-Urban Terrain
HK-2004
AS/NZS 1170.2.2002
AIJ-2004
ASCE 7.05 (0.25)
NBCC-1995
BS EN-2004 (0.29)
Present Study (0.25)
ESDU-1976 (0.28)
Journal of Wind and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 33-53 49
Figure 4 Turbulent length scales different terrains in codes and standards for corresponding value of ααααα
Wind Spectra
Table 8 shows the expressions for wind spectra adopted by different codes/standards. The Indian,
Hong-Kong, Australian and Japanese code use Von-Karman spectra, while BS-EN and ASCE use the
modified Kaimal spectra. However, NBCC uses Davenport spectra.
Despite of using Von-Karman spectran or Modified Kaimal spectra some variation has been observed due to
slight change in multipliers values used in numerator and denominator by these codes.
From Figure 5, it is clear that the experimental values for different terrains are consistent with the other
spectra. On comparing the Von-Karman spectra with the spectra obtained from expermental values, length
scale of turbulence was 172m, 140m and 108m for sub urban, heavy sub-urban and urban terrain
respectively.
Table 8 Wind spectra in different codes and standards
Wind Spectra Spectra Used
IS-875 (Proposed) H
H
v
v
V
Lfx
x
xffS . ,
)8.701(
.)(
6/522=
+=
π
σ Von-Karman
HK-2004 H
H
v
v
V
Lfx
x
xffS . ,
)2(
47.0)(
6/522=
+=
σ Von-Karman
AS/NZS
1170.2.2002 H
H
v
v
V
Lfx
x
xffS . ,
)8.701(
4)(
6/52=
+=
σ Von-Karman
AIJ-2004 H
H
v
v
V
Lfx
x
xffS . ,
)711(
4)(
6/522=
+=
σ Von-Karman
ASCE 7-05 Z
Z
v
v
V
Lfx
x
xffS . ,
)3.101(
47.7)(
3/52=
+=
σ Modified Kaimal
NBCC (1995) H
H
v
v
V
Lfx
x
xffS . ,
)1(3
2)(
3/42
2
2=
+=
σ Davenport
BS EN 1991-1-
4.2005 Z
Z
v
v
V
Lfx
x
xffS . ,
)2.101(
8.6)(
3/42=
+=
σ Modified Kaimal
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Ht
(m)
Turbulent Length Scale (m)
Urban Terrain
IS 875-1987 (0.36)
IS 875-2011 (0.31)
HK-2004
AS/NZS 1170.2.2002
AIJ-2004
NBCC-1995
Present Study (0.33)
ESDU-1976 (0.36)
ASCE 7.05 (0.33)
50 Comparison of Codal Values and Experimental Data Pertaining to Dynamic Wind Characteristics
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