Large eddy simulation of unsteady aerodynamic behavior of long-span vaulted roofs

This paper discusses the unsteady aerodynamic behavior of long-span vaulted roofs. First, a forced vibration test in a turbulent boundary layer is conducted in a wind tunnel. The models are force vibrated in the first anti-symmetric mode to investigate the effects of wind speed, rise/span ratio, and the amplitude and frequency of forced vibration on the distributions of wind pressures and unsteady aerodynamic forces. Then, a large eddy simulation (LES) is carried out to clarify the physical mechanism of wind-roof interaction as well as to investigate the influences of a roof’s vibration on the flow field around the roof. From the results of the wind tunnel experiment and the LES, we discuss the characteristics of unsteady aerodynamic forces on a long-span vaulted roof over a wide range of the reduced frequency of vibration. The effect of unsteady aerodynamic forces on the dynamic response of the roof is also discussed. A comparison between the wind tunnel experiment and the LES indicates that the LES can be used effectively to evaluate the unsteady aerodynamic behavior.