Numerical simulation of wind pressures on low-rise hip roofed buildings

Wind-induced pressures on the roofs of four types of low-rise hip roofed buildings with different roof pitches under various wind directions were predicted by numerical simulation and wind tunnel test.Numerical simulation was based on the Reynolds-averaged equations and the standard k-e turbulence model,and the computational domain was divided into tetrahedral elements with good adaptability.The flow field was numerically solved by means of the CFD software Fluent. Analysis and comparison of the numerical results with the wind test data indicate that roof pitch and wind direction angle have significant effects on the roof pressures of the building.Under different wind directions the roof generally experiences the highest peak suctions at the area near the roof ridge or near the windward-side eave.The peak suction absolute values near the roof ridge increase and those values near the windward-side eave decrease with the increasing roof pitch.Based on analysis of pressure distribution,the shape factor variation curves at different roof regions and the simplified determination method for these factors were also presented.