Abstract
The present paper proposes the external wind pressure coefficients for designing the main wind force resisting systems of pipe-framed greenhouses widely used in Japan, based on a series of wind tunnel experiments. Simultaneous pressure measurements are made with a 1:40 scale model of the greenhouse in a turbulent boundary layer simulating the natural winds over typical open-country exposure. The distribution of the equivalent static pressure coefficients generating the maximum load effect on the frame are computed by using the LRC (Load Response Correlation) method; the bending moment at the windward column base is taken as the most critical load effect in the analysis. First, a model of the external wind pressure coefficient is provided for the isolated model. Then, the effect of adjacent structures on the pressure distribution is investigated using two or three identical models arranged in parallel. The results indicate that the proposed model of external wind pressure coefficients can be applied reasonably to the plural model cases.
