Digital assessment of the applicability of regulatory techniques in calculating the aerodynamics of curved surfaces

The article is devoted to an in-depth study of modeling patterns of wind flow distribution over a geometrically complex curved surface covering a unique large-span building based on a comparison of two options for performing aerodynamic calculations. The first method consists in conducting a computer experiment on a digital model of the projected object in computational fluid dynamics software systems. The second one is based on the implementation of simplified calculation procedures according to the methods set out in the regulatory documents adopted in the construction industry. When performing a computer experiment, the characteristic features of modeling in the ANSYS CFX software and computing complex are highlighted, such as the construction of a computational model, the formation of a computational grid of finite elements, and the setting of a height-varying wind profile in three of the most relevant directions. Special attention is paid to the correct setting of boundary conditions, which is critical for obtaining reliable results. According to two calculation options, adapted patterns of wind pressure distribution over the curved surface of the building are presented and a comparative analysis of the results is performed, reflecting an excess of wind loads calculated according to regulatory documents by about 1.5–2 times in relation to the data obtained during computer modeling.