J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn.

107108 (2012) 179191

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

Journal of Wind Engineering

and Industrial Aerodynamics
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jweia

Experimental investigation of aerodynamic forces and wind pressures acting

on tall buildings with various unconventional congurations
Hideyuki Tanaka a,n, Yukio Tamura b, Kazuo Ohtake a, Masayoshi Nakai c, Yong Chul Kim b
a
Takenaka Corporation Research & Development Institute 1-5-1, Ohtsuka Inzai, Chiba 270-1395, Japan
b
Department of Architecture, Tokyo Polytechnic University, 1583, Iiyama Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan
c
Takenaka Corporation, 1-1-1, Shinsuna, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan

a r t i c l e i n f o abstract

Article history: Tall buildings have been traditionally designed to be symmetric rectangular, triangular or circular in
Received 2 August 2011 plan, in order to avoid excessive seismic-induced torsional vibrations due to eccentricity, especially in
Received in revised form seismic-prone regions like Japan. However, recent tall building design has been released from the spell
13 April 2012
of compulsory symmetric shape design, and free-style design is increasing. This is mainly due to
Accepted 14 April 2012
architects and structural designers challenging demands for novel and unconventional expressions.
Available online 16 May 2012
Another important aspect is that rather complicated sectional shapes are basically good with regard to
Keywords: aerodynamic properties for crosswind excitations, which are a key issue in tall-building wind-resistant
Tall building design. A series of wind tunnel experiments have been carried out to determine aerodynamic forces and
Corner modication
wind pressures acting on square-plan tall building models with various congurations: corner cut,
Setback
setbacks, helical and so on. The results of these experiments have led to comprehensive understanding
Tapered building
Helical-shaped building of the aerodynamic characteristics of tall buildings with various congurations.
Building with openings & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction loads, which are an important issue in tall-building wind-resis-

The 828 m-high Burj Khalifa was completed in January 2010,
and the world record for skyscraper height was then updated
from the previous Taipei 101, which was 508 m high. According to
a report (Tamura et al., 2011) that examined world skyscrapers
under construction as of January 2010, 56% of those within the
top 100 highest buildings had been completed since 2000, and
currently tall buildings higher than 600 m are still under con-
struction. Attention should be paid to this trend of tall building
construction, i.e., Manhattanization, and increased construction of
ingenious tall buildings acting as landmarks or city symbols
should also be highlighted. Tall buildings have been traditionally
designed to be symmetric rectangular, triangular or circular in
plan, in order to avoid excessive seismic-induced torsional vibra-
tions due to eccentricity. However, recent tall building design
has been released from the spell of compulsory symmetric shape
design, and free-style design is increasing, reecting structural
designers challenging demands for new and unconventional
expressions. Development of analytical techniques and of vibra-
tion control techniques has greatly contributed to this trend. The
fact that rather complicated sectional shapes can reduce wind
n
Corresponding author. Tel.: 81 476 47 4597; fax: 81 476 47 7333.
E-mail address: tanaka.hideyuki@takenaka.co.jp (H. Tanaka).
tant design, has also contributed to the current trend. The
effectiveness of aerodynamic modication to reduce wind
loads has been widely reported, and aerodynamic modications
thought to be effective include those to sectional shape (horizon-
tally) such as polygon or Y-type (Hayashida and Iwasa, 1990;
Hayashida et al., 1992) and corners (Shiraishi et al., 1986; Kwok
et al., 1988; Miyashita et al., 1993; Amano, 1995; Kawai, 1998),
building shape (vertically) such as taper (Cooper et al., 1997; Kim
and You, 2002; Kim et al., 2008; Kim and Kanda, 2010a; 2010b)
and setback (Kim and Kanda, 2010a,b), as well as introduction
of openings (Dutton and Isyumou, 1990, Miyashita et al., 1993).
However, most of the above papers have focused on the effect of
one aerodynamic modication that changes systematically.
For example, for corner-modication buildings, various modica-
tion shapes and various modication lengths were highlighted,
and for tapered buildings, the effects of different taper ratios were
the main concern. Although there have been some reports on
cross comparisons of different aerodynamic modications using a
limited number of aerodynamic modications, none have com-
prehensively investigated aerodynamic characteristics of various
types of tall buildings with different congurations.
Therefore, a series of wind tunnel experiments were con-
ducted to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics and to
evaluate the most effective structural shape in wind-resistant
design for tall buildings with various aerodynamic modications.

0167-6105/$ - see front matter & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jweia.2012.04.014
180 H. Tanaka et al. / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 107108 (2012) 179191

Fluctuating aerodynamic forces on tall building models with the simulate a large Re which is similar to full-scale, so in the
same volume were rstly measured, and wind pressure measure- present work, Re is just mentioned as a reference for the
ments were conducted on building models, showing excellent smooth-surfaced models. The Re obtained from the diameter
aerodynamic characteristics. This paper presents comprehensive of the Circular Model used in the wind tunnel experiment is
and detailed discussions on the aerodynamic characteristics of Re 2.9  104.
the shapes tested. (b) Corner modication models
Although there are several methods for corner modication,
i.e., corner chamfered, corner cut, corner rounding, n, and so
2. Outline of wind tunnel experimental models on, the examination of corner modication focuses on a
Corner Cut Model and a Corner Chamfered Model as shown
2.1. Conguration of tall building models in Table 1(b). Referring to past researches on aerodynamic
characteristics of structures and buildings with corner cham-
The tall building models used for the experiments are shown fered and corner cut models (Shiraishi et al. 1986; Amano,
in Table 1(a)(g). The full-scale height and the total volume of 1995; Kawai, 1998), the modication length is set at 0.1B,
each building model are commonly set at H400 m (80 stories) where B is the building width.
and about 1,000,000 m3. The width B of the Square Model shown (c) Tilted models
in Table 1(a) is 50 m and the aspect ratio H/B is 8. The geometric For the Tilted Model, the roof oor is displaced by 2B from the
scale of the wind tunnel models is set at 1/1000. The tall building base oor, and for the Winding Model, the oors at 0.25H and
models examined in this study are classied in 7 categories as 0.75H are shifted by 0.5B to the left and right side, respec-
follows. tively, from the middle oor, and the walls have smoothly
curved surfaces as shown in Table 1(c).
(a) Basic models (d) Tapered models
The Square, Circular, Rectangular, and Elliptic plan models The tapered models include the following ve types: a
shown in Table 1(a) are classied as Basic Models. The side 2-Tapered Model which has only two tapered surfaces, a
ratio of the Rectangular and Elliptic Models is 1:2. For the 4-Tapered Model which has four tapered surfaces, an Inver-
Circular and Elliptic Models, the effect of Reynolds number Re sely 4-Tapered Model which has the inverse building shape of
should be discussed when considering the correspondence the 4-Tapered Model, and a Bulged Model whose sectional
to the full-scale structure. Generally it is quite difcult to area at mid-height is expanded as shown in Table 1(d). When

Table 1
Conguration of test models.

(a) Basic models (e) Helical models

Square Rectangular Circular Elliptic 90o Helical 180o Helical 270o Helical 360o Helical 180o Helical
Square Square Square Square Rectangular
L y D
=0o
H=400

z z z z
y x y x y x y x z z z z z
B=50 y x y x y x y x y x

(b) Corner modification models (c) Tilted models (f) Opening models
Corner (f-1) Cross Opening (f-2) Oblique Opening
Corner Cut Tilted Winding
Chamfered h/H=2/24 h/H=5/24 h/H=11/24 h/H=2/24 h/H=5/24

h
H=400

z z z z z z z z z
y x y x 100 y x y x
50 25 50 25 y x y x y x y x y x

(d) Tapered models (f) (g) Comp os ite models

Inversely (f-2) 4-Tapered
2-Tapered 4-Tapered Setback Bulged 360o Helical Setback Setback
4-Tapered & 360o Helical
h/H=11/24 & Corner Cut & Corner Cut & 45o Rotate
& Corner Cut

z z z z z
y x y x y x y x y x z z z z z
y x y x y x y x y x
 H. Tanaka et al. / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 107108 (2012) 179191 181

the taper ratio is between 5% and 10%, a model with a larger

tapering ratio shows better aerodynamic behavior (Kim and
Kanda, 2010a,b). Thus, for the 4-Tapered Model, the taper
ratio was set at 10% and the area ratio of the roof oor to the
base oor was set at 1/6. The Setback Model with a 4-layer
setback is also classied in this category. The area ratio of the
roof oor to the base oor is set at 1/6 for the 2-Tapered,
Setback, and Inversely 4-Tapered Models. For the Bulged
Model, the ratio of roof oor or base oor area to the largest
middle oor area is 1/3.
(e) Helical models
The sectional shapes of the helical models are square and
rectangular, and the twist angle y between the roof oor and
the base oor is set at 901, 1801, 2701 and 3601, as shown in
Table 1(e). The sectional shapes together with the twist angle
are used as a prex of the model name. For example, the 1801
Helical Square Model means the helical model whose sec-
tional shape is square with a twist angle of 1801.
(f) Opening models
In the category of opening models, three cross opening
models and three oblique opening models, whose openings
are provided at the top-center and top-corner of the walls,
respectively, are classied as shown in Table 1(f). Three
different opening heights h 2H/24, 5H/24, and 11H/24 are Fig. 1. Flow conditions of wind tunnel experiment.
considered to clarify the effects of opening size on the
aerodynamic characteristics. For the three Oblique Opening
Models, the opening volume is not included in the building
volume, and since the building volumes of those Models is
almost the same, their widths are xed. However, for the
three Cross Opening Models, the opening volume is included
in the building volume, because of the compatibility of aspect
ratio with the other models.
(g) Composite models
The composite models have the combined congurations of
the primary congurations shown in Table 1(a)(f), and the
aerodynamic characteristics of the following four composite
models shown in Table 1(g) are investigated: 3601 Helical and
Corner Cut Model; 4-Tapered and 3601 Helical and Corner
Cut Model; Setback and Corner Cut Model; and 451 Rotating
Setback Model, where the rotating angle of each setback layer
is 451.

2.2. Experimental conditions

2.2.1. Aerodynamic force measurements

Wind tunnel experiments were performed in a closed-circuit-
type boundary-layer wind tunnel whose working section is 1.8 m
high by 2.0 m wide. Fig. 1 shows the condition of the approaching
turbulent boundary layer ow with a power-law index of 0.27,
representing an urban area. The wind velocity and turbulence
intensity at the top of the model are about UH 7.0 m s  1 and
IUH 9.2%, respectively. The turbulence scale near the model top is
about 0.360 m, and that of Architectural Institution of Japan
(2004) is 365 m. Therefore, when considering the length scale of
1/1000, the ow conditions of the present work are thought to be
appropriately simulated. Dynamic wind forces were measured by
a 6-component high-frequency force balance (HFFB) supporting
light-weight and stiff models. Wind direction a is changed from
01, which is normal to a wall surface, to 451 or 1801 every 51
depending upon the building conguration. The measured wind
forces and aerodynamic moments are normalized by qHBH2 to get
wind force coefcients and moment coefcients. Here, qH is the
velocity pressure at the model height H, and B is commonly set at
the width of the Square Model. Therefore, the force and moment
coefcients of the models can be directly compared. Fig. 2 shows
Fig. 2. Coordinate system.
the denitions of wind forces, moments, and the coordinate
system employed in this study. The Reynolds number Re based
on the mean wind velocity at the roof height UH and the width of
the Square Model B is Re 2.6  104.
2.2.2. Wind pressure measurements
Wind pressure measurements were conducted on 8 models as
shown in Fig. 3. They were determined from the results of
aerodynamic force measurements and for relatively realistic
building shapes in the current era. The aims of the pressure
measurement were to examine the characteristics of local wind
forces and aerodynamic phenomena in detail.
The coordinate system and approaching ow for the wind
pressure measurements are the same as for the aerodynamic
force measurement (see Figs. 1 and 2), except that the wind
velocity at model height was 11.8 m s  1. Also, the wind direction
182 H. Tanaka et al. / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 107108 (2012) 179191
was changed from 01 to 3551 at 51 intervals as for the aero-
dynamic force measurements. The uctuating wind pressures of
each pressure tap were measured and recorded simultaneously
using a vinyl tube 80 cm long through a multi-channel pressure
transducer. The sampling frequency was 1 kHz with a low-pass
lter of 500 Hz. The total number of data was 32,768. The
uctuating wind pressures were revised considering the transfer
function of the vinyl tube.
There were about 20 measurement points on one level on four
surfaces, as shown in Fig. 3, and the measurement points were
instrumented at 10 levels (12 levels only for Setback Model),
giving about 200 measurement points. The wind pressure coef-
cients Cp were obtained by normalizing the uctuating pressures
p by the velocity pressure qH at model height. The local wind force
coefcients, CfD for along-wind, CfL for across-wind and CmT for
Fig. 3. Test models for wind pressure measurement. (a) Square, (b) cross opening,
(c) corner chamfered, (d) corner cut (h/H5/24), (e) 4-Tapered, (f) setback,
(g) 901 helical and (h) 1801 helical.
Fig. 4. Variation of mean overturning moment coefcients on wind direction for some test models. (a) Along-wind direction and (b) across-wind direction.
torsional moment, were derived by integrating the wind pressure
coefcients Cp using the building width of the Square Model B (B2
for torsional moment) regardless of building shape.
3. Results of wind force measurements
3.1. Mean overturning moment coefcients
Fig. 4 shows the variation of the mean along-wind overturning
moment (o.t.m.) coefcient C MD and the mean across-wind o.t.m.
coefcient C ML with wind direction a for eight typical building
models. Fig. 5 shows the maximum values of the mean along-
wind and across-wind o.t.m. coefcients, 9C MD 9max and 9C ML 9max
considering all wind directions.
The mean along-wind o.t.m. coefcient C MD and across-wind
o.t.m. coefcient C ML of the Square Model show maximum values
of 0.60 and 0.20 at wind direction a 451 and 151, respectively.
The maximum along-wind o.t.m. coefcient 9C MD 9max and across-
wind o.t.m. coefcient 9C ML 9max of the Circular Model is smallest
among all experimental models, and those of the Rectangular
Model and Elliptic Model are larger than those of the Square
Model because of their larger widths.
The maximum mean along-wind o.t.m. coefcients 9C MD 9max of
the 4-Tapered Model and the Setback Model, whose sectional area
decreases with height, are relatively small. However, for the three
Cross Opening Models, whose projected areas also decrease at
their upper parts, the maximum mean along-wind o.t.m. coef-
cient 9C MD 9max does not decrease as much as those of the
4-Tapered Model and Setback Model. This may be because of
the reduced effectiveness of the openings as the wind direction
approaches 451.
The maximum mean across-wind o.t.m. coefcients 9C ML 9max
of the Corner Cut Model and Corner Chamfered Model are small.
The maximum mean across-wind o.t.m. coefcients of the Helical
Square Model and the Cross Opening h/H11/24 Model, whose
opening size is the largest, are also small. The small coefcients of
those models are related to vortex formation and shedding.
Inversely, the models whose along- and across-wind o.t.m.
coefcients are larger than those of the Square Model are the
2-Tapered Model, the 1801 Helical Rectangular Model and the
Tilted Model with larger projected area for a certain wind
direction, and the Inversely 4-Tapered Model with larger pro-
jected area at its upper height.
The maximum mean o.t.m. coefcients 9C MD 9max and 9C ML 9max
of a Helical Square Model with a larger twist angle tends to show
smaller values. And, as can be seen in Fig. 4, the variations of
 H. Tanaka et al. / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 107108 (2012) 179191
Fig. 5. Comparison of maximum mean overturning moment coefcients.
Fig. 6. Variation of uctuating overturning moment coefcients on wind direction for some test models. (a) Along-wind direction and (b) across-wind direction.
mean o.t.m. coefcients C MD and C ML of the 901 Helical Square
and 1801 Helical Square Models with wind direction are very
small. In particular, the 1801 Helical Square Model shows values
almost independent of wind direction.
For the opening models, as the opening size h/H becomes
larger, the maximum mean o.t.m. coefcient 9C ML 9max decreases.
However, the decreasing tendency is not signicant for the
maximum mean along-wind coefcient 9C MD 9max for both the
Cross Opening Models and the Oblique Opening Models.
The aerodynamic characteristics of the composite models with
multiple modications are mostly superior to those of the models
with single modication. However, note that the mean o.t.m coef-
cients of 3601 Helical and Corner cut are almost the same as those of
the 3601 Helical Model, implying that the aerodynamic characteristics
have not been further improved by corner modication.
3.2. Fluctuating overturning moment coefcients
Fig. 6 shows the variation of the uctuating o.t.m. coefcients
0
CMD and CML0
with wind direction a for the test models which show
specic aerodynamic force characteristics, where the uctuating
0 0
o.t.m. coefcients CMD and CML are dened as the standard
deviation of the o.t.m. coefcients. Fig. 7 shows the maximum
along-wind and across-wind uctuating o.t.m. coefcients,
0 0
CMD max and CML max, considering all wind directions.
183
The maximum uctuating o.t.m. coefcients of the basic
0 0
Square Model are CMD max 0.12 and CML max 0.14 for wind
direction of a 01 as shown in Fig. 6.
As shown in Fig. 7, the maximum uctuating along-wind o.t.m.
0
coefcients CMD max of the Corner Chamfered, Corner Cut,
4-Tapered and Setback Models are smaller. Like the mean o.t.m.
coefcients, the smaller projected area at upper height is related
to the smaller uctuating o.t.m. coefcients of the 4-Tapered
Model and the Setback Model, and for the Corner Chamfered
Model and the Corner Cut Model, the elongated separated shear
layer causes smaller coefcients. (Tamura and Miyagi, 1999). The
0
maximum uctuating across-wind o.t.m. coefcients CML max of
the 4-Tapered, Setback, Helical Square, and Cross Opening 11/24
Models show relatively small values. Detailed aerodynamic phe-
nomenon will be discussed later. These trends are the same as
those of the maximum mean o.t.m. coefcients. And, the effect of
twist angle y for the Helical Square Models, the effects of opening
size for the two types of Opening Models, and the composite
effect also show the same tendency as those of the maximum
mean o.t.m. coefcients.
3.3. Relationship between overturning moment coefcients
The relationship between maximum mean o.t.m. coefcients
and maximum uctuating o.t.m. coefcients for all building
184 H. Tanaka et al. / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 107108 (2012) 179191

Fig. 7. Comparison of maximum uctuating overturning moment coefcients.

Fig. 8. Relationship of o.t.m. coefcients. (a) Relationship between maximum mean and maximum uctuating o.t.m. coefcients (b-1) maximum mean o.t.m. coefcients
(b-2) maximum uctuating o.t.m. coefcients and (b) Relationship between along-wind direction and across-wind direction.

models are shown in Fig. 8(a) for the along-wind direction and for relationship between the maximum uctuating o.t.m. coefcients
the across-wind direction. Fig. 8(b) shows the relationship between in both directions (Fig. 8(b-2)). As described in Section 3.2, the
the maximum mean o.t.m. coefcients in the along-wind direction maximum mean and uctuating o.t.m. coefcients show a similar
and those in the across-wind direction (Fig. 8(b-1)), and the tendency, and high correlations between them are observed as
 H. Tanaka et al. / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 107108 (2012) 179191 185

shown in Fig. 8(a). And, it is interesting to note that the high
correlations between mean/uctuating o.t.m. coefcients in the
along-wind direction and in the across-wind direction are observed.
3.4. Power spectral densities of across-wind overturning moment
coefcients
As the across-wind power spectra generally exceed the along-
wind power spectra, the power spectra of across-wind overturning
moment coefcients fSCML whose peak is the largest among all wind
directions are shown in Fig. 9, and are categorized by model types.
The power spectrum of the Square Model shown in Fig. 9(a)(g)
has a sharp peak near the Strouhal component of 0.1. Although the
peak of the Rectangular Model shown in Fig. 9(a) is not as sharp, the
values of power spectrum in the frequency range higher than 0.01
are relatively large. The peaks of the Corner modication models
(Fig. 9(b)), the 4-Tapered and Setback Models (Fig. 9(d)), the Helical
Models (Fig. 9(e)), and the Cross Opening Model h/H 11/24, which
show smaller overturning moment coefcients, decrease signicantly
compared with that of the Square Model, showing that the periodic
vortex shedding is effectively suppressed. On the other hand, the
peaks of the Tilted and Inversed 4-Tapered Models are larger than
that of the Square Model.
For the power spectra of the Helical Square Models shown in
Fig. 9(e), even though the twist angle y is large, relatively sharp peaks
can be observed, but their values are small. And there are no
signicant differences in peaks and shapes of power spectra when
the twist angle is more than 1801. The peaks of the Cross Opening and
Oblique Opening models shown in Fig. 9(f-1) and (f-2) decrease with
opening size h/H. For the Cross Opening h/H 11/24 Model, the peak
of the Strouhal component becomes at, but another peak is observed
at the reduced frequency fB/UH of 0.2. For the Composite Models
(Fig. 9(g)), the peaks of the Strouhal component for the 4-Tapered and
3601 Helical and Corner Cut, Setback and Corner Cut, and 451 Rotating
Setback Models are hardly noticeable.
In the calculation of wind-induced responses, the spectral
values are important, and those corresponding to a 500-year
return period wind speed and a 1-year return period wind speed

Fig. 9. Power spectral densities of across-wind overturning moment coefcients. (a) Basic models, (b) corner modication models, (c) tilted models, (d) tapered models,
(e) helical models, (f-1) cross opening models, (f-2) oblique opening models and (g) composite models.
186 H. Tanaka et al. / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 107108 (2012) 179191

p
were calculated and their square root values SCML are shown spectral densities shown in Fig. 9. The bandwidth Bw was obtained
in Fig. 10(a) and (b). Here, the square root values for Vp,1,
p by approximating the power spectra fSCML to the Eq. (1) through the
SCML ,max (Vp,1), are the values on the reduced p frequency
least-square method (Vickery and Clark, 1972).
fB/UH 0.17, and the square root values for Vp,500, SCML ,max " 
p 2 #
(Vp,500) correspond to the peak values SCML , peak because the f SCML f 1f =f peak
k p exp  1
maximum values in power spectral density were selected in the s2 pf peak Bw Bw
ranges where the reduced frequency is larger than 0.07 (fB/
p
UH Z0.07). The 1st natural frequency is assumed to be f1 0.1 Hz, The values of SCML,peak for the Corner Cut, Tapered, Setback,
and the design wind speeds for corresponding return periods are Helical Square (y 1801 3601), and Cross Opening (h/H11/24)
assumed to be Vp,500 71 m s  1 and Vp,1 30 m s  1 in Tokyo, Models, which show small mean and uctuating o.t.m. coefcients,
respectively. And, Fig. 10(c) shows the bandwidth Bw of power are smaller than that of the Square Model, meaning that those

Fig. 10. Comparison of across-wind power spectral densities. (a) Maximum peak values of power spectral densities (Design wind speed corresponding to 500-year return
period), (b) design wind speed corresponding to 1-year return period and (c) bandwidths.
 H. Tanaka et al. / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 107108 (2012) 179191
p
models have the advantage in safe design. The values of SCML,peak
for the 4-Tapered and 3601 Helical and Corner Cut and 451 Rotating
Setback Models, which are Composite models, are much smaller
than that of the Square Model, and it can be said that the
Combination modelpis
a very effective building shape for safe design.
The values of, SCML,max (Vp,1), for the Tilted Models, Tapered
models and Oblique Opening Modelsp are generally
large, and even
for the Tapered and Setback Models, SCML,max (Vp,1), is larger than
that of the Square Model. However, the values of the Corner Cut,
Helical Square, and Cross Opening h/H11/24 Models are smaller
than that of the Square Model, showing that these building shapes
are superior to the square shape for habitability design. Although
some composite
p
models contain Tapered and Setback, the values
of SCML,max (Vp,1) become smaller than that of the Square Model.
The bandwidths Bw shown in Fig. 10(c) show an inverse trend
to the spectral peaks shown in Fig. 10(a), and when the band-
width is small, the spectral peak becomes very sharp as shown for
the Square Model, implying that strong vortices are shed reg-
ularly. But when the bandwidth is large, as the spectral peak
becomes at and the spectral shape becomes wide, it can be
assumed that the vortex shedding becomes random and irregular.
This randomness contributes largely to the smaller wind forces
discussed in Sections 3.1 and 3.2, and this is more profound for
the composite models whose bandwidths are very large.
Fig. 11. Effect of twist angle y for the Helical Square Models. (a) Maximum mean o.t.m. coefcients, (b) maximum uctuating o.t.m. coefcients, (c) peak values of power
spectral densities and (d) bandwidths of power spectral densities.
Fig. 12. Vertical prole of mean local wind force coefcients. (a) Along-wind, (b) across-wind and (c) torsion.
187
3.5. Effect of twist Angle y for helical square models
As shown above, because the aerodynamic characteristics of
Helical Models are better than those of other models with single
modication, detailed comparisons are summarized in Fig. 11. From
Fig. 11(a)(c), the o.t.m. coefcients and the spectral peak values
show the tendency to decrease with increasing twist angle y, and
the decrease in the uctuating component of across-wind is
signicant, as shown in Fig. 11(b) and (c). But note that there are
small differences in o.t.m. coefcients, spectral peaks and band-
widths when the twist angle is larger than 180o. From this, it can be
assumed that the effects of twist angle y on regular vortex shedding
appear mostly when the twist angle is less than 901, and the relative
effects of twist angle y become smaller at larger twist angle i.e.
4. Results of wind pressure measurements
The representative wind direction is assumed to be 01 for the
models shown in Fig. 3(a)(f), and those of the 901 Helical and
1801 Helical Models are 601 and 351, respectively, which are
normal to one surface at z/H0.7. Basically, the wind pressure
measurements refer to the representative wind direction unless
stated otherwise.
188 H. Tanaka et al. / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 107108 (2012) 179191

4.1. Distribution of mean local wind force coefcients
The distribution of mean local wind force coefcients is shown
in Fig. 12. The mean local wind force coefcients of across-wind
(Fig. 12(b)) and torsional moments (Fig. 12(c)) are shown for the
wind directions at which the mean 9C FD 9 and 9C MT 9 become
maximum.
The mean local wind force coefcients for the along-wind
direction C f D , across-wind direction C f L and torsional moment
C mT of the Square Model are the largest throughout the height.
The C f D , 9C f L 9 and C mT of the Corner Chamfered and Corner Cut
Models are smaller than that of the Square Model throughout the
height. Especially, C mT values are less than the half of the Square
Model (Fig. 12(c)). From this, the torsional moment coefcients
are assumed to decrease as well as the overturning moment
coefcients in the along-wind direction and the across-wind
direction, as shown in Section 3.1. For the 4-Tapered and Setback
Models whose projected areas become small with height, the
torsional moment coefcients decrease as for the mean local wind
force coefcients in the along-wind direction shown in Fig. 12(a).
And there are large differences in C f D values for the Setback
Model and the 4-Tapered Model near z/H0.75, 0.50 and 0.25. For

Fig. 13. Vertical prole of uctuating local wind force coefcients. (a) Along-wind, (b) across-wind and (c) torsion.

Fig. 14. Power spectral densities of across-wind local wind force coefcients. (a) Square (a 01), (b) cross opening (a 01), (c) corner chamfered (a 01), (d) corner cut
(a 01), (e) 4-Tapered (a 01), (f) setback (a 01), (g) 901 helical (a 601) and (h) 1801 helical (a 351).
 H. Tanaka et al. / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 107108 (2012) 179191 189

the 901 Helical and the 1801 Helical Models, C f L and C mT become
positive or negative depending on z/H, reecting the building
shapes. This results in smaller aerodynamic characteristics as
shown in Section 3.1. The C f D , C f L and C mT of the Cross Opening
Model are smaller than that of the Square Model near the
opening, which is affected by the opening, showing little differ-
ence at other heights to the Square Model.

4.2. Distribution of uctuating local wind force coefcients

The vertical distribution of the uctuating local wind force

coefcients is shown in Fig. 13. For the along-wind and across-
wind directions, the variation trends are similar to those of the
mean local wind force coefcients shown in 4.1 (Fig. 13(a) and (b)).
Similar observations can also be made for torsional moment, i.e.,
the CmT0 values of the Corner Chamfered and Corner Cut Models are
smaller than that of the Square Model, the CmT0 values of the
4-Tapered and Setback Models at z/HZ0.5 are smaller than that of
the Square Model, and the CmT0 values of the 901 Helical and 1801
Helical Models become positive and negative depending on z/H
shown in Fig. 13(c). However, the CmT0 values near the opening of
the Cross Opening Model is larger than that of the Square Model,
meaning that the opening has an inverse impact on uctuating Fig. 16. Vertical prole of bandwidth of across-wind local wind force power
spectra.
local wind force.

4.3. Power spectral density of across-wind local wind force

regularity collapses near the model top, and the bandwidth
coefcients
shown in Fig. 16 near the z/H0.5 is smaller than that of the
model top. The power spectral densities of other models in
The power spectra of the across-wind local wind force coef-
Fig. 14(b)(h) show similar results.
cient fSCfL higher than z/H0.5 are shown in Fig. 14. The Strouhal
The Strouhal numbers St of the Square Model shown in Fig. 15
number St corresponding to the vortex shedding frequency, and
vary little with height, showing almost constant values through-
the bandwidth Bw were obtained and the vertical proles are
out the height. This means that all the vortex components are
shown in Figs. 15 and 16. The power spectra in Fig. 14 were
shed almost the same time throughout the height, greatly exciting
plotted against the reduced frequency, which was obtained by
the models in across-wind direction. Contrary to the Square
using the width of the Square Model B (constant) regardless of
Model, those of the 4-Tapered Model, Setback Model and 1801
building shape. The bandwidths Bw were obtained by approxi-
Helical Model vary greatly with height. For those models, because
mating the power spectra fSCfL to Eq. (1).
the shedding frequencies of each height are different, the result-
Sharp peaks near z/H0.5 were observed for the Square Model
ing across-wind force decreases correspondingly.
(Fig. 14(a)), but they become relatively at near the model top
Similar discussion can be made for the bandwidth shown in
because of the three-dimensional effect of ow. This again implies
Fig. 16, i.e., regular and strong vortices with narrow-band are shed
that regular vortex shedding exists near z/H0.5 and the
throughout the height for the Square Model, but for the other
models, vortices with wide band are shed randomly, effectively
suppressing the across-wind force. The bandwidth of 1801 Helical
Model is very large, and when considered in conjunction with the
large variation of Strouhal number and small spectral peak with
height, it can be assumed that for the 1801 Helical Model the weak
vortices with wide-band are shed irregularly throughout the height,
and this results in the better aerodynamic behaviors discussed above.

4.4. Distribution of mean wind pressure coefcient

Fig. 15. Vertical prole of Strouhal number.
The mean wind pressure coefcients (Fig. 17) based on the local
wind force characteristics will be discussed in the following sections
for the Square, Corner Cut, Setback and 1801 Helical Models.
Although the building surface of the 1801 Helical Model
changes arbitrarily among windward surface, side surface, and
leeward surface depending on the height, the mean wind pressure
coefcients show their maximums at z/H7/8, and decrease near
the peripheral parts, showing similar distributions to the other
test models. For the Corner Cut Model, large negative wind
pressures occur at the leading edge of the side surface, and their
distribution varies greatly from the leading edge and trailing
edge, showing a different distribution from the Square Model. The
absolute values of mean wind pressures at the leeward surface
are smaller than those of the Square Model, resulting smaller local
190 H. Tanaka et al. / J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 107108 (2012) 179191
Fig. 17. Distribution of mean wind pressure coefcients. (a) Square, (b) corner cut,
(c) setback and (d) 1801 helical.
wind forces than the Square Model as shown in Fig. 12(a). The
distributions of side surface and leeward surface of the Setback
Model are similar to those of the Square Model. The distribution
of the side surface of the 1801 Helical Model is very complex, and
the absolute values for the leeward surface are smaller than those
for the other models. The absolute values for the leeward surface
of the 1801 Helical Model are smaller than those for the other
models, and the distribution for the side surface is very complex,
resulting in different characteristic from the other models, as
shown in Fig. 12(b) and (c).
5. Conclusion
Aerodynamic force measurements and wind pressure mea-
surements were conducted for tall building models with various
building shapes and the same height and volume. Comparison
and discussion of the aerodynamic characteristics of tall buildings
led to the following conclusions.
(1) For the maximum mean overturning moment coefcients,
tapered models such as 4-Tapered and Setback Models show
better aerodynamic behaviors in the along-wind direction,
and Corner modication models, Helical models, and Cross
Opening models whose opening sizes are h/H 11/24 show
better aerodynamic behaviors in the across-wind direction.
(2) For the maximum uctuating overturning moment coef-
cients, Corner modication models, 4-Tapered and Setback
Models show better aerodynamic behaviors in both along-
wind and across-wind directions. Cross Opening Model with
h/H 11/24 and the Helical models also show better aero-
dynamic behaviors in the across-wind direction.
(3) For all building models, the correlations between maximum
mean coefcients and maximum uctuating coefcients are
high for both along-wind and across-wind directions. And, the
high correlations between maximum mean (and uctuating)
overturning moment. coefcients in along-wind direction and
those in the across-wind direction are again observed.
(4) The power spectral densities of the models mentioned
(2) decrease signicantly compared with the Square Model,
showing good performance in safety design for the design
wind speed corresponding to a 500-year return period. How-
ever, 4-Tapered and Setback Models have disadvantages
in the evaluation of habitability for the design wind speed
corresponding to a 1-year wind speed. Conversely, Corner
Chamfer, Corner Cut, Helical, and Cross Opening (h/H11/24)
Models show superior aerodynamic behaviors in both safety
and habitability design to the Square Model.
(5) The aerodynamic characteristics of the composite models
with multiple modications are mostly superior to those of
the models with single modication. However, note that the
mean overturning moment coefcients of 3601 Helical and
Corner cut are almost the same as those of the 3601 Helical
Model, implying that the aerodynamic characteristics have
not been improved by corner modication and the advantages
of corner modication seem to be eliminated somewhat by
the helical shape.
(6) The building congurations mentioned in (1) and (2) show
better aerodynamic behavior in both along-wind and across-
wind directions, and the local wind force coefcients of
torsional moment are also small. However, the opening of
the Cross Opening Model has an adverse inuence on the
uctuating local wind forces.
(7) For the Square Model, all the vortex components are shed at
almost the same time throughout the height, greatly exciting
the models in across-wind direction. Contrary to the Square
Model, those of the 4-Tapered Model, the Setback Model and the
1801 Helical Model vary greatly with height. For those models,
because the shedding frequencies of each height are different,
the resulting across-wind force decreases correspondingly.
(8) For 1801 Helical Model, weak vortices with wide-band are
shed irregularly throughout the height, and this results in the
better aerodynamic behaviors as discussed above.
Acknowledgment
N. Koshika of Kajima Corp., K. Yamawaki of NIKKEN SEKKEI
Ltd., Y. Hitomi of NIHON SEKKEI Ltd., Y. Hayano of MAD Tokyo and
S. Igarashi of Takenaka Corp. provided us with helpful advice for
setting experimental cases. This study comprised part of a project
funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and
Tourism, Japan.
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