Experimental investigation of the aerodynamics of a large industrial building with parapet

Abstract

The aerodynamic performance of a roof depends significantly on its shape and size, among other factors. For instance, large roofs of industrial low-rise buildings may behave differently compared to those of residential homes. The main objective of this study is to experimentally investigate how perimeter solid parapets can alter the flow pattern around a low-rise building with a large aspect ratio of width/height of about 7.6, the case of industrial buildings/shopping centers. Solid parapets of varied sizes are added to the roof and tested in an open-jet simulator in a comparative study to understand their impact on roof pressure coefficients. Roof pressures were measured in the laboratory for cases with and without parapets under different wind direction angles (representative of straight-line winds under open terrain conditions). The results show that using a parapet can alter wind pressures on large roofs. Parapets can modify the flow pattern around buildings and change the mean and peak pressures. The mean pressure pattern shows a reduction in the length of the separation bubble due to the parapet. The parapet of 14% of the building’s roof height is the most efficient at reducing mean and peak pressures compared to other parapet heights.