• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.235-253
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• 2019

This paper reviews shape optimization studies for tall and super-tall building design. Firstly, shape effects on aerodynamic and response characteristics are introduced and discussed. Effects of various configurations such as corner modifications, taper, setback, openings, and twists are examined. Comprehensive comparative studies on various configurations including polygon building models, and composite type building models such as corner-cut and taper, corner-cut and taper and helical, and so on, are also discussed under the conditions of the same height and volume. Aerodynamic characteristics are improved by increasing the twist angle of helical buildings and increasing the number of sides of polygon buildings, but a twist angle of $180^{\circ}$ and a number of sides of 5 (pentagon) seem to be enough. The majority of examined configurations show better aerodynamic characteristics than straight-square. In particular, composite type buildings and helical polygon buildings show significant improvement. Next, shape effects on pedestrian-level wind characteristics around tall and super-tall buildings are introduced and discussed. Corner modification buildings show significant reductions in speed-up areas. On the other hand, setback and tapered models with wider projected widths near the ground show adverse effects on pedestrian-level wind characteristics.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.455-478
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• 2008

The present study aims to estimate the wind ventilation performance for pedestrian level domains from the air quality point of view. Three typical models of a dense urban area were considered and numerically simulated in order to examine the effects of the geometry of such models on wind flow characteristics, which in turn affect the air quality, within the pedestrian domain of a street canyon located within this area. The calculated flow fields were employed to estimate the exceedance probabilities within the study domain using a new approach: air exchange rate within the domain. The study has been applied to nine cities in Japan: Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Niigata, Fukuoka, Nagoya, Sendai, Yokohama, and Kyoto, based on their mean wind velocity data. The results demonstrated that the exceedance probability analysis of the pedestrian wind environment could be a valuable tool during the design stage of inhabited areas for the evaluation of pollutant-removal efficiency by the applied wind. Also, the calculated probabilities demonstrated substantial dependence on both the geometry of building arrays and the wind conditions of the nine cities.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.287-296
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• 2019

In recent years, a number of long span cable-stayed pedestrian bridges have been constructed to the advantages of relatively low cost construction and the many tourists visiting. However, most of the pedestrian bridges are located in parks or sightseeing areas, so they are conducted without proper review and design process. It is necessary to review the aerodynamic stability of the long span cable-stayed pedestrian bridge, and it should be designed in detail from various points of view rather than the road bridge. In this study, we investigated the wind characteristics of the cable-stayed pedestrian bridge, and the empirical equations for the relationship between the main span length and the fundamental natural frequencies are presented for future use. In addition, the flutter wind speed limit of the flat plate deck pedestrian bridge calculated using the Selberg's equation is also presented. The final aerodynamic bridge section which satisfied the aerodynamic stability was found from open grating method. The proposed method can be used for long span cable-stayed pedestrian bridge in the future.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.409-428
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• 2016

The mechanical and aerodynamic effect of building shape plays a dominate role in the pedestrian level wind environment. These effects have been presented in numerous studies and are available in many wind codes. However, most studies have focused on wind flow around conventional buildings and are limited to few wind directions. The present study investigated wind circulation in the re-entrant corners of cross-shaped high-rise buildings from various wind directions. The investigation focused on the pedestrian level wind environment in the re-entrant corners with different aspect ratios of building arrangements. Ninety cases of case study arrangements were evaluated using wind tunnel experimentation. The results show that for adequate wind circulation in the re-entrant corners, building orientations and separations play a critical role. Furthermore, in normal wind incident directions and at a high aspect ratio, poor wind flow was observed in the re-entrant corners. Moreover, it was noted that an optimized building orientation and aspect ratio significantly improved the wind flow in re-entrant corners and through passages. In addition, it was observed that oblique wind incident direction increased wind circulation in the re-entrant corners and through passages.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.402-409
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• 2008

Wind loads and environments in realistic situations surrounded by neighboring buildings may be considerably different from those in idealized or simplified situations such as codes and standards. Interference effects of change in wind passage of a building group on wind loads and wind environments are reviewed. Wind-induced interference effects depend mainly on the building geometry and arrangement of these structures, their orientation and upstream terrain conditions. The most important factor among them may be the arrangement of building structures which can change the wind direction directly. Interference effects regarding wind loads are discussed with examples of window damages by typhoon and of pressure measurements in the boundary layer wind tunnel. Wind environment problems are also discussed, specially underlined on pedestrian comfort and safety. Various evaluation techniques or standards of wind environment are introduced. The change of wind velocity between the panel-type apartment buildings is examined, depending on the distance each other.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.24-32
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• 2016

The mortality rate of car-pedestrian accidents is quite high, compared to the frequency of accidents. Researches on pedestrian protection are being actively performed worldwide. The A-pillar and lower part of the wind shield cause the most serious damage to the pedestrians. Typical devises to protect the pedestrians are the hood lift system and pedestrian airbag. The design of such devices for an sport utility vehicle is performed based on a design process using design of experiments (DOE). The design results are obtained by an orthogonal array (OA), analysis of mean (ANOM) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). A metamodel is also used in the design process.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.483-497
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• 2022

Three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of flow around a hipped-roof building representative of UK inland conditions are conducted. Unsteady simulations are performed using three variations of the k-ϵ RANS turbulence model namely, the Standard, Realizable, and RNG models, and their predictive capability is measured against current European building standards. External pressure coefficients and wind loading are found through the BS 6399-2:1997 standard (obsolete) and the current European standards (BS EN 1991-1-4:2005 and A1:20101). The current European standard provides a more conservative wind loading estimate compared to its predecessor and the k-ϵ RNG model falls within 15% of the value predicted by the current standard. Surface shear stream-traces and Q-criterion were used to analyze the flow physics for each model. The RNG model predicts immediate flow separation leading to the creation of vortical structures on the hipped-roof along with a larger separation region. It is observed that the Realizable model predicts the side vortex to be a result of both the horseshoe vortex and the flow deflected off it. These model-specific aerodynamic features present the most disparity between building standards at leeward roof locations. Finally, pedestrian comfort and safety criteria are studied where the k-ϵ Standard model predicts the most ideal pedestrian conditions and the Realizable model yields the most conservative levels.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.242-256
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• 2017

In this paper, dispersion scenarios concerning various meteorological conditions and real urban structures were made to estimate the impacts of hazardous substance leakage accidents and to reduce damages. Based on the scenario of the hazardous substance dispersion, the characteristics of the risk in the pedestrian environment were analyzed in Gangnam, Seoul. The scenarios are composed of 48 cases according to the meteorological conditions of wind direction and wind speed. In order to analyze the dispersion characteristics of the hazardous substances, simulations were conducted using a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model with hydrogen fluoride releases. The validation for the simulated wind was conducted at a specific period, and all the calculated verification indices were within the valid range. As a result of simulated dispersion field at pedestrian level, it was found that the dispersion pattern was influenced by the flow, which was affected by the artificial obstacles. Also, in the case of the weakest wind speed of the inflow, the dispersion of the hazardous substance appeared in the direction of the windward side at the pedestrian level due to the reverse flow occurred at lower layers. Through this study, it can be seen that the artificial structures forming the city have a major impact on the flow formed in urban areas. The proposed approach can be used to simulate the dispersion of the hazardous substances and to assess the risk to pedestrians in the industrial complexes dealing with actual hazardous substances in the future.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.337-349
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• 1998

A numerical and experimental study was performed for the wind flow field in one area, comprising a group of several pavilions separated by passageways, of the EXPO '98 - a World Exposition (Lisbon, Portugal). The focus of this study is the characterization of the flow field to assess pedestrian comfort. The predictions were obtained employing the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the turbulence effects dealt with the ${\kappa}-{\varepsilon}$ RNG model. The discretization of the differential equations was accomplished with the control volume formulation in a Cartesian coordinate system, and an advanced segregated procedure was used to achieve the link between continuity and momentum equations. The evaluation of the overall numerical model was performed by comparing its predictions against experimental data for a square cylinder placed in a channel. The predicted values, for the practical geometry studied, are in a good agreement with the experimental data, showing the performance and the reliability of the ${\kappa}-{\varepsilon}$ RNG model and suggesting that the numerical simulation is a reliable methodology to provide the required information.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.145-156
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• 2022

Application examples of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in the planning stage of high-rise buildings are introduced. First, we introduce examples of applications in the environmental field. The pedestrian wind environment was one of the earliest practical examples of CFD. CFD was also employed to validate the heat island mitigation measures proposed as part of the new construction plan. Second, application examples of wind-force evaluations are introduced. Prediction examples are presented for the peak wind pressure around a complex-shaped building and the wind force evaluation for a base-isolated building. The results prove that the results of the proper execution of CFD are equivalent to those of the wind tunnel experiment. As examples of CFD applications of other issues related to high-rise building planning, we introduce snow accretion on outer walls and high-temperature exhaust from emergency generators. Finally, the future prospects for the use of CFD are discussed.