Aerodynamic Analysis Of Buildings Using Numerical Tools From Computational Wind Engineering.

Abstract

This work presents a numerical model based on Computational Wind Engineering (CWE)
techniques to simulate the wind action over buildings. CWE deals with application of Computational
Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methodologies in classical Wind Engineering problems, which are usually
analyzed employing experimental tools in wind tunnels. In Wind Engineering procedures the
aerodynamic analysis is performed to investigate effects of the wind action over structures where the
structural motion may be neglected. The Navier-Stokes equations for viscous incompressible flows
and a continuity equation based on the pseudo-compressibility hypothesis are the governing equations
for the fluid analysis. The numerical model to simulate wind flows is obtained applying the explicit
two-step Taylor-Galerkin method on the governing equations. Spatial approximations are performed
using the Finite Element Method with eight-point hexahedral elements and one-point quadrature,
which leads to analytical evaluations of the element matrices. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is
employed to analyze the large scales of turbulent flows and the dynamic model is used for the sub-grid
scales modeling. Typical applications on building aerodynamics are simulated in order to demonstrate
the accuracy of the present formulation.