Mean and fluctuating internal pressures induced by wind

TLDR: In this paper, the mean and r.m.s. fluctuating internal pressure coefficients were both found to be monotonic functions of the ratio of windward to leeward opening areas, and it was shown that similarity can be maintained at lower wind tunnel velocities, by distorting the internal volume by a factor equal to the square of the velocity ratio.

Abstract: Mean and fluctuating pressures inside buildings, induced by wind, have been investigated using boundary layer wind tunnel and computer simulation techniques. Mean and r.m.s. fluctuating internal pressure coefficients were both found to be monotonic functions of the ratio of windward to leeward opening areas. The case of a single windward opening was treated as a damped Helmholtz resonator. Inertia effects were found to produce resonance amplification in the response of the internal pressure to turbulent external pressures and to a step change in external pressure. However, these effects are unlikely to be of much practical significance except for the case of a sudden large opening occurring in a relatively rigid building. For correct scaling of fluctuating internal pressures, wind tunnel testing should be tested at full scale wind velocities. However, it is shown that similarity can be maintained at lower wind tunnel velocities, by distorting the internal volume by a factor equal to the square of the velocity ratio.