Wind-induced loads on the foundation of a low-rise building: Full-scale and wind tunnel experimentation Conference

Zisis, I, Stathopoulos, T. (2010). Wind-induced loads on the foundation of a low-rise building: Full-scale and wind tunnel experimentation . 1120-1130. 10.1061/41130(369)102

cited authors

  • Zisis, I; Stathopoulos, T

authors

abstract

  • Structural monitoring of an instrumented experimental single-storey wood building provided important information regarding the behaviour and response of low-rise buildings subjected to wind loads. Foundation wind-induced loads were captured by twenty-seven three-dimensional load cells simultaneously with the envelope pressures and weather characteristics. The distribution of the total wind load to each wall is examined and normalized to the wind speed for each direction. The correlation between loads acting on different wall segments is also quantified in the form of participation factors. In parallel with full-scale findings, a scaled model of the experimental building and its surroundings is tested in a boundary layer wind tunnel. The detailed pressure distribution information for thirty-six wind angles of attack obtained through three different upstream terrain simulations is used to generate expected total uplift wind force. The findings are compared to data acquired directly from the foundation load cells located in the test house. The comparison revealed that in most cases wind tunnel values are within the range of the field results. Discrepancies are somewhat higher for wind tunnel tests conducted using the open/suburban terrain compared to the urban terrain simulation. The results are significant for the improvement of the wind tunnel testing and simulation procedures, for the development of code and standard provisions, as well as for the verification of the finite element numerical model of the test house. © 2010 American Society of Civil Engineers.

publication date

  • January 1, 2010

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 1120

end page

  • 1130