Large eddy simulation of the flow around a low-rise building immersed in a rough-wall turbulent boundary layer

The objective of this paper is to validate the large eddy simulation (LES) technique for predicting a flow around an obstacle under the condition that a turbulent flow is approaching the obstacle. The turbulent inflow data were generated for both a smooth surface and rough surfaces by the method we had proposed. A half-height cube was immersed in the turbulent boundary layers with several types of vertical velocity profile. With regard to the pressure distributions on the surface of the half-height cube, the computed time-averaged and rms values are in good agreement with previous experimental ones. However, the peak pressure coefficients are underestimated, especially compared to full-scale data. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.