Numerical and Experimental Study on Flow Field around Slab-Type High-Rise Residential Buildings

High-rise residential buildings often adopt rectangular cross-sections with large depth-to-width ratios. Moreover, the cross-sections have many grooves and chamfers for better ventilation and lighting. However, related research is lacking. This study performed wind tunnel tests and large eddy simulations (LES) on two typical buildings to analyze the surface wind pressures and flow fields around the buildings. The base moment spectra, along with the wind pressure coefficients, demonstrate that numerical simulation is capable of accurately representing the magnitudes and variations in wind loads along the height of the building. Furthermore, numerical simulation effectively captures the dominant energy distribution characteristics of fluctuating wind loads in the frequency domain. The shear layer separations, vortex shedding and reattachment phenomenon were observed. It was found that in the middle and lower parts of the buildings, the shear layer separation changed dramatically. Buildings with depth-to-width ratios close to 2 are minimally affected by changes in wind direction. However, for buildings with larger depth-to-width ratios, especially when the short side faces the wind, the reattachment of the shear layer and the shedding of wake vortices become crucial factors in generating fluctuating cross-wind loads. This emphasizes the significant impact of wind direction and plan dimensions on flow characteristics and aerodynamic behavior. When the building contained corners and grooves, the low-wind-speed area induced by the shear layer separation shrank and the reattachment point shifted closer to the windward facade.