Abstract
We proposed a steel greenhouse with wing-like cross section in previous study (Kim et al., 2016). The present paper discusses the reduction of load effect (bending moment, in practice) by making openings (slits) in the side walls and thereby controlling the internal pressure.
First, we measured external pressures at the location of the openings with a scale model in a turbulent boundary layer. The external pressures were used for simulating the internal pressure. The effects of various parameters on the internal pressure coeffi cient were made clear. The distributions of external wind pressures in some cross-sections were also measured. Then, we carried out a two-dimensional frame analysis using the time history of wind force coeffi cients provided by the difference between the external and internal pressure coeffcients. Focus was on the bending moments induced in the frame members as the most important load effect. The effect of the width of slits in the side walls on the bending moments was investigated under various conditions, e.g. frame location and wind direction. Based on the results, an optimum combination of the slit width was derived, which could reduce the maximum bending moment by approximately 20 %, compared with the enclosed type of structure.
