A method for the assessment of the wind-induced natural ventilation forces acting on low rise building arrays

Abstract

Whilst the assessment of the natural ventilation rates of low-rise buildings is an area of growing concern in the continued search for greater interior comfort standards, this concern is perhaps reflected more in our awareness of the energy impact which this source of heat loss has in the present financial climate. It is surprising therefore that so little is known about air infiltration in the low rise buildings, which continue to comprise the majority of our housing stock. The relatively small amount of data which exists relates only to isolated buildings despite the fact that other spheres of fluid mechanics have for some time recognised the importance of proximity effects in the prediction of fluid flow phenomena. It is the intention of this paper to describe a series of wind tunnel investigations which have led to the development of a procedure by which it is possible to estimate the wind pressure forces which act on a low-rise building which itself is part of a large group of similar buildings. The use of this technique makes it possible to allow for the building form, the parameters which describe the array in which it is situated, the upstream building conditions and the orientation of the wind. Wind speed maps are included in an appendix so that the prediction technique may be applied to the determination of natural ventilation forces on buildings situated in parts of the UK.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

1 Dick, J.

‘Experimental Studies in the Natural Ventilation of Houses’

J.I.H.V.E. 17 (1949)

2 ‘Air Infiltration’, Section A4, CIBS(IHVE) Guide, Book A (1970)

3 ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers. New York (1972)

4 Bilsborrow, R. E. , ‘Natural Ventilation of Buildings’, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Sheffield (1973)

5 BSI Code of Practice CP3, Wind Loads (1972)

6 Jensen, M. & Franck, N., ‘Model Scale Tests in Turbulent . Wind’, Danish Tech. Press, Copenhagen (1965)

7 Jackman, P.J., ‘A Study of the Natural Ventilation of Tall Office Buildings’, H.V.R.A. Laboratory Report No. 53 (1969)

8 Good, M. C. & Joubert, P. N.

‘The Form Drag of Two-Dimensional Bluff Plates Immersed in Turbulent Boundary Layers’

Jnl. Fl. Mich. 31 (1968)

9 Morris, H. M.

‘Flow in Rough Conduits’

Proc. A.S.C.E. 120, Paper 2745 (1955)

10.

10. Joubert, P. N. , Perry, A. E. and Stevens, L. K. , ‘Drag of a Bluff Body Immersed in a Rough Wall Boundary Layer’. Proc. 3rd Int. Conf. Wind Effects on Buildings and Structures, Tokyo (1971)

11.

11 Wooding, R. A. , Bradley, E. F. & Marshall, J. K. , ‘Drag Due to Regular Arrays of Roughness Elements of Varying Geometry’. Boundary Layer Met., 5 (1973)

12.

12 Counihan, J.

‘Simulation of an Adiabatic Urban Boundary Layer in a Wind Tunnel’

Jnl. Atmos. Envir. 7 (1973)

13.

13. Lee, B. E. , ‘The Simulation of Atmospheric Boundary Layers in the Sheffield University 1.2 × 1.2 m Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel’. Proc. 3rd Coll. Ind. Aero., Fachhochschule Aachen, F.D.R. (1978)

14.

14 Hussain, M. , ‘A Study of the Wind Forces on Low Rise Building Arrays’. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Sheffield (1979)

15.

15 Soliman, B. F. & Lee, B. E. , ‘Some Aspects of Density and Form Relevant to Air Flow in Urban Areas’. Build. International, 7 (1974)

16.

16 Lee, B.E. & Soliman, B. F. , ‘An Investigation of the Forces on Three Dimensional Bluff Bodies in Rough Wall Turbulent Boundary Layers’. Trans A.S.M.E., Jnl. Fl. Engng., 99 (1977)

17.

17 Soliman, B. F. , ‘A Study of the Wind Pressure Forces Acting on Groups of Buildings’. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Sheffield (1976)

18.

18 Perry, A. E. , Schofield, W. H. & Joubert, P. N. , ‘Rough Wall Turbulent Boundary Layers’. Jnl. Fl. Mech., 37, Pt. 2 (1969)

19.

19 ‘Fluid Forces, Pressures and Moments on Rectangular Blocks’, Engineering Scoieties Data Unit, Data Item 71016 (1971)

20.

20 Tielman, H. W. & Reinhold, T. A., ‘A Wind Tunnel Model Investigation for Basic Building Geometries’. Rep. No. VPI-E-76–8, Dept. of Engng. Sci. and Mech., Virginia Poly. Inst, and State Univ., Blacksburg, Va. (1976)

21.

21 Newberry, C. & Eaton K. , ‘The Wind Loading Handbook’. Building Research Establishment Report, H.M.S.O. (1974)

22.

22. Caton, P. , ‘Standardised Maps for Hourly Wind Speed, over the United Kingdom’. Proc. 4th Int. Conf. Wind Effects on Buildings and Structures, Heathrow, London (1975)