Two-dimensional inflated buildings in a cross wind

Abstract

Model experiments have been done on two-dimensional inflated buildings in thick boundary layers that simulate either an onshore wind, or flow over sparsely wooded country. A theory has been developed which replaces the boundary layer by an inviscid flow of uniform vorticity. The replacement flow matches both the velocity and the velocity gradient of the wind at the maximum height of the building. The tension in the membrane is quite well predicted by the theory, but the external pressure is in general too low owing to the presence of separation bubbles at the leading and trailing edges.