Simplified formulas for evaluation of wind-induced interference effects among three tall buildings

The base-bending moment (BBM) response and the mean BBM of grouped high-rise buildings are studied by a series of wind tunnel tests on typical tall building models using the high-frequency force balance technique. Interference excitations of two upwind buildings with various heights in different upwind terrains are considered. An effective method is proposed to represent the distribution of the envelope interference factor (EIF) among three tall buildings. The results show that two upstream buildings cause more adverse dynamic effects on the downstream building than a single upstream building does. Significant correlations are found in the distributions of the interference factors of different configurations and upwind terrains. Relevant regression equations are proposed to simplify the complexity of the multi-parameter wind-induced mean and dynamic interference effects among three tall buildings. Finally, an example of how to use the data provided in this paper and the proposed methodology is presented. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.