Modeling the mean wind loads on cylindrical roofs with consideration of the Reynolds number effect in uniform flow with low turbulence

The influence of Reynolds number on the mean wind loads acting on cylindrical roofs with different aspect ratios (rise to span ratio, R/D) has been investigated experimentally. The spans D of the cylindrical roof models were 0.2 and 0.6m, and the Reynolds numbers, based on D, ranged from 6.90×10⁴ to 8.28×10⁵. Three aspect ratios were studied; R/D=1/2, 1/3 and 1/6. The surface pressure distributions and force coefficients were determined using wind tunnel measurements in uniform flow with low turbulence. The effects of the different aspect ratios and Reynolds numbers were briefly discussed. The aim of this investigation was to find a simplified approach to parameterize estimation of the pressure coefficients C_p, which considers the influences of the aspect ratio of the roof model together with the Reynolds number. It was found that a modified pressure model, in terms of a re-normalized formation, represented the experimental data accurately for the cylindrical roof model with a variety of aspect ratios. This approach was also found to be reliable for evaluating wind pressure distributions on cylindrical and spherical roofs.