Wind tunnel tests and numerical simulations of wind pressures on buildings in staggered arrangement

This paper presents numerical and experimental investigations of wind-induced interference effects on the pressure distributions on a building adjacent to another one in staggered arrangement. The wind tunnel tests were carried out in a low-speed boundary layer wind tunnel. Mean and fluctuating pressure and moment measurements on the principal building with interference from surroundings at different wind directions are obtained. The numerical predictions for pressure distribution on the principal building are performed by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations using the renormalization group (RNG) k–ε turbulence model and then compared with the measurements. The computational method is based on a pressure correction algorithm of the SIMPLEC-type. The simulated pressure, base force and base moment coefficients in different wind directions are generally in good agreement with the corresponding wind tunnel data.