Wind tunnel experiment on wind pressures acting on the scaffolds in strong winds

Abstract

Temporary scaffolds in Japan are typically covered with plastic sheets to prevent construction equipment from falling. However, when the cover sheets are subjected to strong winds, the scaffolds can collapse. In order to prevent or reduce the number of those accidents, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of wind pressures acting on the scaffolds. In this study, wind tunnel experiments with a building model in uniform flow were conducted to clarify the fundamental characteristics of wind pressures acting on the simplified scaffold models. The wind direction that caused the maximum pressure was identified. With the different sizes of the nearby scaffolds erected on the other side of the building, the wind pressures acting on the scaffolds can vary depending on the wind direction. The similarity of the experimental results from case to case was statistically discussed based on the coefficient of correlation. For different experiment cases, wind pressures acting on the exterior surface of the scaffolds that were erected at the same positions but in different sizes from the nearby scaffolds are more or less close to each other, while the pressures acting on the interior surface are different due to the wind entering the gap between the building and scaffolds. Thus, pressure acting on the interior surface of the scaffolds is a significant factor for the stability of the scaffolds.