• Title/Summary/Keyword: Snowdrift

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CFD-DEM modeling of snowdrifts on stepped flat roofs

  • Zhao, Lei;Yu, Zhixiang;Zhu, Fu;Qi, Xin;Zhao, Shichun
    • Wind and Structures
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    • v.23 no.6
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    • pp.523-542
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    • 2016
  • Snowdrift formation on roofs should be considered in snowy and windy areas to ensure the safety of buildings. Presently, the prediction of snowdrifts on roofs relies heavily on field measurements, wind tunnel tests and numerical simulations. In this paper, a new snowdrift modeling method by using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) coupled with DEM (Discrete Element Method) is presented, including material parameters and particle size, collision parameters, particle numbers and input modes, boundary conditions of CFD, simulation time and inlet velocity, and coupling calculation process. Not only is the two-way coupling between wind and snow particles which includes the transient changes in snow surface topography, but also the cohesion and collision between snow particles are taken into account. The numerical method is applied to simulate the snowdrift on a typical stepped flat roof. The feasibility of using coupled CFD with DEM to study snowdrift is verified by comparing the simulation results with field measurement results on the snow depth distribution of the lower roof.

A comparison of numerical simulations and full-scale measurements of snowdrifts around buildings

  • Thiis, Thomas K.
    • Wind and Structures
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.73-81
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    • 2000
  • Snowdrifts around buildings can cause serious problems when formed on undesirable places. The formation of snowdrifts is highly connected to the wind pattern around the building, and the wind pattern is again dependent on the building design. The shear stress on the surface and snowdrifting around different buildings are investigated through CFD analysis and compared to measurements. The computations of shear stress shows local minima in the same areas as snowdrifts are formed. The snowdrifting computations utilises a drift-flux model where a fluid with snow properties is allowed to drift through a fluid with air properties. An apparent dynamic viscosity of the snow/air mixture is defined and used as a threshold criterion for snowdrifting. The results from the snowdrifting computations show increased snow density where snowdrifts are expected, and are in agreement with previous large-scale snowdrift measurements. The results show that computational fluid dynamics can be a tool for planning building design in snowdrifting areas.

Field measurement and numerical simulation of snow deposition on an embankment in snowdrift

  • Ma, Wenyong;Li, Feiqiang;Sun, Yuanchun;Li, Jianglong;Zhou, Xuanyi
    • Wind and Structures
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    • v.32 no.5
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    • pp.453-469
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    • 2021
  • Snow accumulation on the road frequently induces a big traffic problem in the cold snowy region. Accurate prediction on snow distribution is fundamental for solving drifting snow disasters on roads. The present study adopts the transient method to simulate the wind-induced snow distribution on embankment based on the mixture multiphase model and dynamic mesh technique. The simulation and field measurement are compared to confirm the applicability of the simulation. Furthermore, the process of snow accumulation is revealed. The effects of friction velocity and snow concentration on snow accumulation are analyzed to clarify its mechanism. The results show that the simulation agrees well with the field measurement in trends. Moreover, the snow accumulation on the embankment can be approximately divided into three stages with time, the snow firstly deposited on the windward side, then, accumulation occurs on the leeward side which induced by the wake vortex, finally, the snow distribution reaches an equilibrium state with the slope of approximately 7°. The friction velocity and duration have a significant influence on the snow accumulation, and the vortex scale directly affected the snow deposition range on the embankment leeward side.

Field measurement study on snow accumulation process around a cube during snowdrift

  • Wenyong Ma;Sai Li;Xuanyi Zhou;Yuanchun Sun;Zihan Cui;Ziqi Tang
    • Wind and Structures
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    • v.37 no.1
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    • pp.25-38
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    • 2023
  • Due to the complexity and difficulty in meeting the multiphase flow complexity, similarity, and multiscale characteristics, the mechanism of snow drift is so complicated that the snow deposition prediction is still inaccurate and needs to be far improved. Meanwhile, the validation of prediction methods is also limited due to a lack of field-measured data about snow deposition. To this end, a field measurement activity about snow deposition around a cube with time was carried out, and the snow accumulation process was measured under blowing snow conditions in northwest China. The maximum snow depth, snow profile, and variation in snow depth around the cube were discussed and analyzed. The measured results indicated three stages of snow accumulation around the cube. First, snow is deposited in windward, lateral and leeward regions, and then the snow depth in windward and lateral regions increases. Secondly, when the snow in the windward region reaches its maximum, the downwash flow erodes the snow against the front wall. Meanwhile, snow range and depth in lateral regions have a significant increase. Thirdly, a narrow road in the leeward region is formed with the increase in snow range and depth, which results in higher wind speed and reforming snow deposition there. The field measurement study in this paper not only furthers understanding of the snow accumulation process instead of final deposition under complex conditions but also provides an important benchmark for validating prediction methods.

Design Guidelines of Prismatic Buildings for Antarctic Environment(II)-Snowdrift (남극환경을 위한 직사각형 건물의 설계지침에 관한 연구(II)-적설현황)

  • Kim, Dong-Hyeok
    • Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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    • v.5 no.2
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    • pp.31-42
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    • 1991
  • 남극건물의 기능을 현저히 저하시키는 큰요인의 하나인 극설현상에 관한 연구는 건물로 인한 남극환경에 미치는 인간의 영향을 최소화시키기 위한 기본적인 연구라고할 수 있다. 남극에 건설될 새로운 건물을 대상으로한 극설현상의 현지조사나 실물실험은 여러모로 보아 비경제적이고 비현실적이기 때문에 풍동실험의 필요성이 절실해진다. 본 연구는 극설현상의 풍동실험을 위해 필요한 similitude parameters 의 중요성및 각각의 상관성을 분석하였으며 고상식 및 지상식의 직사각형의 단독형 및 group형 건물들 주위에 쌓인 극설의 형태와 극설량을 풍동실험을 통해 조사분석햐여 남극건물의 극설현상에 대한 설계지침(design guideline)을 제시하였다.

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A Study of Modular Architecture's Design to Dwelling Environment in Antarctica (극한지 모듈러 건축물의 설계, 시공 및 거주환경에 대한 연구)

  • Lee, Won-Hak;Song, Young-Hak;Lim, Seok-Ho
    • Journal of the Korean housing association
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    • v.25 no.2
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    • pp.11-18
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    • 2014
  • This study looked at designing, building and operating temporary camp, the first structures that South Korea built in the Antarctica. While there may be differences in accordance with the topography, ground surfaces in the Antarctica are covered broken stones, glaciers and snow. Hence, such topographical characteristics should be taken into account when conducting any construction work. To ensure successful assembly construction in the Antarctica using modules, prior trial assembly work should be done in Korea to identify any possible trouble in the actual construction process. Assuming that the workers will have to spend at least one winter in the temporary camp, the work will be more severely affected by adverse weather conditions and snow drift, resulting in the need to clear snow. This can be by designing roofs with curved surfaces. Also, quantitative effects will need to be verified through simulation and actual measurement. It will also be necessary to assess the camp's thermal environment and examine its air-conditioning methods. To identify the temporary camp's thermal system, the temperatures and humidities were measured, and the heating system was designed not to offer automatic control or desired value selection functions.

Development of a Temporary Pole Supporting System to Protect the Plastic Greenhouses from Heavy Snow Damage (플라스틱 온실의 폭설피해 방지를 위한 가지주 장치 개발)

  • Nam, Sang-Woon
    • Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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    • v.44 no.4
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    • pp.107-113
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    • 2002
  • The pipe framed and arch shape plastic greenhouse, which is the most popular greenhouse in Korea, is relatively weak in snowdrift. Reinforcement of rigid frame or column is required to reduce the damage from heavy snow in this type. But additional rigid frames or columns decrease light transmissivity or workability, and increase construction cost. So it is desirable to prepare some temporary poles and to install them when the warning of heavy snow is announced. This study was carried out to develop the temporary pole supporting system using galvanized steel pipes for plastic housing and to evaluate the safe snow load on a temporary pole. A pipe connector, which is inserted in the top of pipe used in the temporary pole and supports the center purline, was designed and manufactured to be able to carry the upper loads safely. And a bearing plate was safely designed and manufactured in order to carry the loads acting on it to the ground. When temporary poles of ${\phi}$ 25 pipe are installed at 2.4m interval, it shows that the single span plastic greenhouses with 5~7 m width are able to support the additional snow depth of 13.9~25.3 cm beyond the snow load supported by main frame.

A wind-induced snow redistribution study considering contact based on a coupling model of wind and discrete snow particles

  • Bin Wang;Shengran Hao;Shu Liu;Duote Liu;Yongle Li;Haicui Wang
    • Wind and Structures
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    • v.39 no.3
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    • pp.207-222
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    • 2024
  • This paper presents a numerical simulation method for snow drift that takes into account the cohesion effect of snow particles. The critical state of free collapse accumulation of idealized snow particles is used to indirectly infer the effect of interparticle interactions on snow transport and re-accumulation. With the help of the Hertz-Mindlin with JKR cohesion contact model, the particle angle of repose is calibrated with a number of contact parameters through numerical experiment. The surface energy for a given property of snow particles is determined using the observed snow angle of repose, and a continuous-discrete snow drift two-way coupled numerical model incorporating these optimized contact parameters is developed. The snow redistribution pattern on a stepped flat roof structure is simulated, and the results are found to be consistent with those of the field measured in terms of phenomena and general laws, verifying the achievability and effectiveness of the presented method. To eliminate the influence of environmental conditions, wind tunnel tests are also conducted, and it is found that the reconstructed depth and reaccumulated angle of snowdrift resulting from the numerical simulation are in closer agreement with the experimental results, further confirming the enhancement achieved by introducing the contact effect.

An Experimental Study on Evaluation Methods for Scaling Resistance of Cement Concrete Pavement (시멘트 콘크리트 포장의 스케일링 저항성 평가방법에 관한 실험적 연구)

  • Lee, Hyeon-Gi;Oh, Hong-Seob;Sim, Jong-Sung;Shim, Jae-Won
    • Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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    • v.19 no.3
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    • pp.30-38
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    • 2015
  • In cold-climate regions, deicing agents is used for smooth traffic on the road due to freezing and snowdrift in winter. The use of de-icing salts has resulted in the accelerated scaling damage of concrete with salt damage under freezing and thawing condition. Scaling is the deterioration of concrete where in the paste-mortar structure delaminates in flakes from the surface of the concrete. Due to such damage, concrete pavement causes various problems such as early deterioration according to the decrease in the thickness of cover concrete and user's stability issues. Accordingly, various tests and evaluation methods have been suggested in order to evaluate these phenomena in other countries. However, there have been no regulations for the evaluation method in South Korea, and related studies are also very rare. Therefore, in this study, the evaluation methods proposed by each institution and country were investigated and the experiments were performed according to each regulation, followed by the comparison and analysis of the results. Furthermore, this study aims to suggest the optimized experimental method adopted to domestic field through the discussion of such experimental methods and results.