Effect of building volume and opening size on fluctuating internal pressures

This paper considers internal pressure fluctuations for a range of building volumes and dominant wall opening areas. The study recognizes that the air flow in and out of the dominant opening in the envelope generates Helmholtz resonance, which can amplify the internal pressure fluctuations compared to the external pressure, at the opening. Numerical methods were used to estimate fluctuating standard deviation and peak (i.e. design) internal pressures from full-scale measured external pressures. The ratios of standard deviation and peak internal pressures to the external pressures at a dominant windward wall opening of area, AW are presented in terms of the non-dimensional opening size to volume parameter, $S^*=(a_s/\bar{U}_h)^2(A_W^{3/2}/V_{Ie})$ where $a_s$ is the speed of sound, $\bar{U}_h$ is the mean wind speed at the top of the building and $V_{Ie}$ is the effective internal volume. The standard deviation of internal pressure exceeds the external pressures at the opening, for $S^*$ greater than about 0.75, showing increasing amplification with increasing $S^*$. The peak internal pressure can be expected to exceed the peak external pressure at the opening by 10% to 50%, for $S^*$ greater than about 5. A dominant leeward wall opening also produces similar fluctuating internal pressure characteristics.