Simultaneous measurement of wind velocity field and wind forces on a square tall building

Abstract

Vortex shedding from a tall building is known to be responsible for the quasi-periodic across-wind force exerted on the building. This article unveils the exact relationship between the vortex shedding pattern and the fluctuating across-wind force. Simultaneous particle-image velocimetry and pressure measurements are carried out on a square-plan tall building model in the wind tunnel toward an understanding of the velocity–pressure–force relation for across-wind force generation on the building. A collection of instantaneous wind flow patterns and synchronized wind pressure distributions suggests the existence of full periods of vortex shedding from the building. The results are further analyzed using the conditional sampling method by which the roles of development and shedding of large-scale vortices in the building wake on the generation of peak across-wind forces are evidently found. Furthermore, quasi-periodicity of across-wind excitation is clearly confirmed with Hilbert transform of the across-wind force signal. The phase averaging technique is applied to the particle-image velocimetry flow fields and distinct vortex shedding patterns from the building are observed for most of the measurement time, together with an evident phase relationship with the across-wind forces.