A numerical study of the effects of wind acting in different directions on clad scaffolds erected around a low-rise building

This paper presents the application of computational fluid dynamics on the analysis of the effects of wind loads on sheeted scaffold structures. This theoretical work has been validated against the experimental results obtained in an atmospheric wind tunnel which models, in turn, a full-size building. Previous research [1] investigated the adequacy of different turbulence models to reproduce the wind loads found in experiments for a single direction of wind. In the present paper, the effects of wind coming from different directions on a scaffolding structure surrounding a low-rise building are evaluated by using the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) turbulence model which was found the most accurate in [1], The pressure loads on the simulated clad covering the scaffolding structure are evaluated and compared for different wind directions. Conclusions are derived on the most critical loads applied on the scaffolding due to wind and the implications for the scaffolding design. The loads currently used in practice are derived from research into permanent structures without including any reduction in imposed loads due to the presence of the façade.