Unsteady Numerical Simulation of Two-Dimensional Airflow over a Square Cross-Section at High Reynolds Numbers as a Reduced Model of Wind Actions on Buildings

Abstract

Airflow over a square cross-section at high Reynolds numbers and different angles of incidence is investigated with the aim of providing deeper insight into wind actions on elongated structures and, in particular, tall buildings. The flow around bluff bodies is characterized by separation at sharp corners, as well as possible flow reattachment at side surfaces. The alternate shedding of vortices is also generated in the wake of bluff bodies due to the unsteady nature of flow separation. Two-dimensional (2D) URANS numerical simulations were conducted in order to model transient flow and examine wind actions on a square used as a model of a typical cross-section of a tall building far from its roof and the ground. For validation purposes, the study’s numerical results on drag and lift coefficients, Strouhal numbers, as well as pressure coefficient distribution were found to be in good agreement with available experimental and numerical results in the literature for relatively low Reynolds numbers. The numerical study was then extended to higher Reynolds numbers, approaching values that are pertinent for wind flow around buildings, thus addressing the lack of such results in the literature. On the basis of these results, the impact of Reynolds numbers and angles of incidence on drag and lift coefficients, as well as the pressure coefficient distribution along the walls of the cross-section, is highlighted.