Study on the wind load of low-rise buildings under typical mountainous terrain and the interference effects of surrounding buildings

Currently, there is still a significant lack of understanding regarding the effects of wind load on low-rise buildings situated in mountainous terrain, especially when considering the interference caused by building clusters. This paper presents a wind tunnel experimental study on the interference effects of wind load on low-rise buildings in mountainous landscapes, focusing on scenarios where two disturbance buildings are symmetrically positioned in front of the test building. The distribution of surface average wind pressure and the variations of shape coefficients are discussed for the distance-to-height ratio S/H = 0.2, 0.4, and 1.0 (S is the distance between a building with height H and the hillside) across a range of wind direction angle spanning from 0° to 180°. The results indicate that as the wind direction angle increases, the areas of wind suction on the surfaces of the experimental house expand. When the wind direction angle is between 0° and 90°, the absolute value of negative pressure on the wall with S/H = 0.4 is larger than that of the other two spacings. When the wind direction angle is 90°, the impact of spacing changes on walls A and D is more pronounced. When the wind direction angle exceeds 90°, the area with a wall height of about 2/3 or more of the test house is subjected to strong wind suction force, irrespective of the distance between the test house and the hillside. The surface of the test house is divided into more areas than standard buildings, and the obtained shape coefficients are significantly different from the specified values. The unfavorable wind direction angle is found to be in the range of 105°～150°, and the influence of the hillside terrain on the test house is more significant than that of the two buildings in its front. When the wind direction angle is 180°, the hillside first comes into contact with the incoming wind, but due to the influence of the hillside airflow, the absolute value of the test house's body shape coefficient decreases compared to its previous state. The shape coefficient of each area on the roof reaches its minimum value at S/H = 0.2 under the most unfavorable wind direction angle.