On the assessment of pedestrian distress in urban winds. Issue 203 (August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vita, Giulio; Shu, Zhenru; Jesson, Michael; Quinn, Andrew; Hemida, Hassan; Sterling, Mark; Baker, Chris
• Is Part Of: Journal of wind engineering and industrial aerodynamics. Issue 203(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-08
• Subjects: Urban flow -- Large eddy simulation -- Wind tunnel -- Pedestrian wind -- Gustiness; Wind-pressure -- Periodicals; Buildings -- Aerodynamics -- Periodicals; Pression du vent -- Périodiques; Constructions -- Aérodynamique -- Périodiques; Buildings -- Aerodynamics; Wind-pressure; Periodicals
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jweia.2020.104200
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0167-6105

Abstract

Abstract: Urban winds can cause a risk to pedestrian safety if not properly assessed. High-rise buildings produce a complex flow field at ground level, where regions of accelerated and recirculating flows are present. Gust wind speeds provide an indication of the maximal speed pedestrian might experience due to the unsteady flow. In this study, low- and high-fidelity numerical and experimental techniques to predict pedestrian level winds are tested on a realistic full-scale test-route at the University of Birmingham Campus during a storm event. Results show that it is beneficial to increase the complexity of simulations as a direct correspondence exists between the gust wind speed and the turbulent environment. While not much gain is achieved switching from Irwin Probes to hot-wire anemometry, LES greatly outperforms RANS and challenges experimental simulations in terms of reliability. The validity of the peak factor is also questioned and a general comment on the adequacy of each technique is discussed. Highlights: High- and Low-fidelity experimental and numerical simulations of pedestrian level wind. Adequacy of hot-wire anemometry, Irwin probes, RANS and LES to predict full-scale tests. Correlation between turbulent environment and gust wind speed. Beneficial to switch to high-fidelity methods in terms of accuracy.