Numerical simulation of snow drifting on typical long-span roofs

Wind flow around a long-span roof can cause complex movement of snow on it and uneven distribution of snow. In recent years, collapse of long-span roofs caused by uneven distribution of snow is common, so it is very important to predict snow distribution on a long-span roof correctly. Here, based on Mixture model and k-kI-ω turbulent model, the numerical simulation for snow drifting on typical long-span roofs was performed. The laws of snow distribution on different roofs were studied considering the effects of wind direction and rise-span ratio. Finally, the simulation results for a flat roof and an arch roof were compared with those calculated using China codes.