Effect of pressure tap density on prediction of wind-induced loads and dynamic response of tall buildings

Abstract

The high frequency pressure integration method is one of the most accurate approaches for obtaining wind loads on tall buildings in wind tunnel investigations. In this technique, simultaneous time histories of the pressures at hundreds of taps on the surface of rigid building models are recorded. To reach acceptable accuracy in the predictions of wind-induced loads and dynamic response in this approach, the resolution of pressure taps on the building area should be fine enough to capture the spatial distribution of the pressures. However, the complexity of the geometry and model size of the buildings may provide limited space to install the associated tubing inside the model. Thus, there will be a practical limit on the maximum number of taps that can be installed. In this study, the influence of pressure tap resolution on the prediction of wind-induced loads and dynamic response are examined for Building A, a benchmark tall building [1, 2]. The effect on response predictions from different pressure tap layout densities on the rigid model is examined and compared with the recommendations from the Australasian Wind Engineering Society Quality Assurance Manual [3]. Time-averaged pressure coefficient distributions for a range of pressure tap layout densities are illustrated. From these distributions, time histories of base shears and bending moments and torsion are calculated and compared from the various pressure tap densities. Dynamic responses including sway and twist moments, acceleration and displacement are predicted using time domain analysis to investigate the effect of pressure tap resolution. It is found that horizontal tap density has significantly more effect than vertical spacing on the predictions of wind-induced loads and dynamic response.