NUMERICAL STUDY ON MUTUAL INTERFERENCE OF WIND LOADING ON STADIUM BUILDINGS

Roofs of large-span stadium buildings are mostly complex curved surfaces with components from composite constructions. The mutual interference of wind loadings on stadium roofs is not explicitly documented in current codes or standards. The determination of wind loads requires the assistance of wind-tunnel tests and CFD modelling. In this study, wind load distribution and its interference effects on roofs of large-span stadium buildings were simulated using the SST k-ω model in the FLUENT software package. The impact of buildings on wind loads and the corresponding interference mechanism under various interfering factors, such as wind angle, the orientation of the stadium opening area and the relative position of stadium buildings were studied. Results show that the pressure coefficient interfering factor under different disturbance factors IF is mostly less than 1.2. 95% of the IF values is less than 1 in sheltered areas, while 5% of the IF values is greater than 1 in amplified regions. The opening area applies the most significant impact on stadium buildings when the wind angle is 270°. The opening area of a stadium amplifies the interference effects of wind loadings on stadium roofs by a factor of 1.75 in comparison to a closed stadium. The value of the interference factor IF increases when the value of S_x reduces, which corresponds to enhanced interference effects on building roofs. When S_y increases, the maximum value of the interference factor gradually reduces, indicating that the wind pressure coefficient on the building’s roof is decreased.