Hybrid Experimental-Numerical Methodology and Field Calibration for Prediction of Peak Wind Effects on Low-Rise Buildings and Their Appurtenances

Authors

Johnny Estephan, Florida International UniversityFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Major/Program

Civil Engineering

First Advisor's Name

Arindam Gan Chowdhury

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee chair

Second Advisor's Name

Ioannis Zisis

Second Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Third Advisor's Name

Seung Jae Lee

Third Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Fourth Advisor's Name

Peter Irwin

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Fifth Advisor's Name

Nipesh Pradhananga

Fifth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Sixth Advisor's Name

Caesar Abi Shdid

Sixth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Keywords

Rooftop solar arrays, aerodynamics, dynamics, wind tunnel testing, field measurements

Date of Defense

11-1-2022

Abstract

Building appurtenances, such as rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems, are vulnerable to damage during extreme wind events. To have more robust designs of PV systems, improved estimation of the peak wind effects is deemed necessary. The overall aim of this research is to develop a new experimental-numerical method, supported by field calibration and validation, for the estimation of peak wind loads that consider the effects of various scales of turbulence in the oncoming flow and dynamic amplification of PV panels. For predicting peak pressures on roofs, the Partial Turbulence Simulation (PTS) method has been previously developed to allow for large-scale model testing by analytically incorporating the effects of the missing low-frequency turbulence based on the quasi-steady aerodynamic theory. The current study focuses on a new experimental-numerical methodology by advancing the PTS approach to account for the dynamic amplification effects on rooftop PV systems. The proposed advanced PTS approach was demonstrated using full- and large-scale wind tunnel testing of a PV panel mounted at different locations on the roof of a low-rise building with various tilt angles. Field measurements were conducted on the roof of the Hogue Technology Center (HTC) at Central Washington University (CWU) to determine the wind flow characteristics, wind loading on the roof and PV array as well as the dynamic properties of the latter. Then, experimental tests on the full-scale PV array model and large-scale models of the HTC building were performed at the NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind (WOW) Experimental Facility (EF) at Florida International University (FIU). Results show that the aerodynamic peak wind loads on the PV array are in reasonable agreement with the field measurements and design wind loads provided in ASCE 7-22. When considering dynamic effects, the ASCE 7-22 Standard tends to underestimate peak design wind loads, and the difference becomes significantly larger as the design wind speed increases. The dynamic peak net force coefficients and dynamic amplification results obtained from the study showed that the resonant component of the wind loading on the PV array increases with an increase in wind speed and a decrease in total damping.

Identifier

FIDC010960

ORCID

0000-0001-5862-8472

Previously Published In

Estephan, J., Gan Chowdhury, A., & Irwin, P. (2022). A new experimental-numerical approach to estimate peak wind loads on roof-mounted photovoltaic systems by incorporating inflow turbulence and dynamic effects. Engineering Structures, 252, 113739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2021.113739

Recommended Citation

Estephan, Johnny, "Hybrid Experimental-Numerical Methodology and Field Calibration for Prediction of Peak Wind Effects on Low-Rise Buildings and Their Appurtenances" (2022). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5154.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5154