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Wind tunnel test of wind-induced snowdrift on stepped flat roofs during snowfall

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Abstract

Snow distribution on a building surface is uneven due to the complicated drift movements of snow grains affected by the wind. Therefore, an accurate estimation of the snow distribution on a building’s roof is essential in protecting its structure. The existing wind tunnel tests of snow distribution on roofs do not consider the influences of falling snow, resulting in deviations between the test results and the actual snow distribution. In this study, a wind tunnel test method considering the snow falling process was proposed to simulate the irregular snow distribution on stepped flat roofs during snowfall. Based on the test data, the variation rule of snow distribution on the stepped flat roof with different test methods and conditions is summarized. (1) The results of the conventional snow erosion test, which neglected the influences of falling snow, deviated from the existing measurement results. (2) The test results of the proposed method with varying wind speeds and grain sizes met the double-linear or triple-linear rule, which conformed to the measurement results. (3) The initial snow significantly influenced the snow distribution on the front of the lower roof on windward side but only slightly affected the snow distribution on the other locations. The research conclusions could provide significant contributions to the actual engineering design.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is supported by the Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of the People’s Republic of China (2014–53), which is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Simulation and Safety, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China

    Jianshuo Wang, Hongbo Liu & Zhihua Chen

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China

    Jianshuo Wang, Hongbo Liu, Zhihua Chen & Kejian Ma

  3. The Spatial Research Center, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China

    Kejian Ma

  4. Key Laboratory of Coast Civil Structure and Safety, Ministry of Education (Tianjin University), Tianjin, China

    Zhihua Chen

  5. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Civil Structure Protection and Reinforcement, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin, China

    Jianshuo Wang

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  1. Jianshuo Wang
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  2. Hongbo Liu
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  3. Zhihua Chen
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  4. Kejian Ma
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Correspondence to Hongbo Liu.

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Wang, J., Liu, H., Chen, Z. et al. Wind tunnel test of wind-induced snowdrift on stepped flat roofs during snowfall. Nat Hazards 104, 731–752 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04188-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04188-1

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