Wind Engineering

 

Summary of Activities

Hong Kong is known for its magnificent buildings and structures but it is located in one of the most active typhoon regions in the world. The area of wind engineering in the Center focuses on wind effects on buildings and structures to lead to a safe and economical design of buildings and structures and provide a friendly wind environment to their occupants. Systematic investigations have been carried out by the Center on typhoon simulation, characteristics of strong winds over complex terrain, wind environment, wind pressures and forces, wind-induced vibration and control, and wind and structural health monitoring of tall buildings, long span bridges and other structures.


Technological Services provided include the following:

  • Interpretation of wind loading codes and standards
  • Wind monitoring and terrain study
  • Wind pressures and forces on special buildings
  • Field measurement and data analysis of buildings and structures during typhoons
  • Buffeting analysis of tall buildings and long span cable-supported bridges
  • Serviceability performance assessment of tall buildings under strong winds  
  • Risk analysis and post-disaster investigation
  • Pedestrian level wind environment study
  • Air ventilation assessment (AVA)

Representative Projects

  • 3D finite element based buffeting analysis of the Stonecutters Bridge
  • Aerodynamic forces on stay cables of the Stonecutters Bridge
  • Wind-rain-induced vibration and control of stay cables in long span cable-stayed bridges
  • Safety analysis of road vehicles in high winds on long span cable-supported bridges
  • Fatigue damage assessment of long suspension bridges under combined traffic-wind loadings
  • Wind tunnel investigations of aerodynamic coefficients of road vehicles
  • Numerical simulation of wind velocity around and wind loading on buildings

 

 

 

 

Wind tunnel measurement of aerodynamic forces on stay cables

Wind-rain simulation tests of stay cables

 

Computer simulation of wind field around a building group

 

Computer simulation of wind pressure around a building group

 

3-D finite element based buffeting analysis of Stonecutters cable-stayed bridge

Major Facilities

  • Ultrasonic and mechanical wind anemometers
  • Field measurement instrument including accelerometers, displacement transducers, pressure transducers, amplifiers, signal conditioners, and recorders
  • Computer facilities and software for data processing and analysis
  • GPS receivers and GPS calibration table 

Selected Publications

1.          Guo, W.H. and Xu, Y.L. (2006) “Safety analysis of moving road vehicles on a long bridge under crosswind”, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, 132(4): 438-446.

2.          Law, S.S., Bu, J.Q. and Zhu, X.Q. (2005) “Time-varying wind load identification from structural responses”, Engineering Structures. 27(10): 1586-1598.

3.          Law, S.S., Bu, J.Q., Zhu, X.Q. and Chan, S.L. (2006) “Wind Characteristics of Typhoon Dujuan as measured at a 50m Guyed Mast”, Wind and Structures, 9(5): 387-396.

4.          Law, S.S., Bu, J.Q., Zhu, X.Q. and Chan, S.L. (2006) “Response prediction of a 50m guyed mast under typhoon conditions”, Wind and Structures, 9(5): 397-412.

5.          Law, S.S., Yang, Q.S. and Y.L. Fang. (2007) “Experimental studies on possible vortex shedding in a suspension bridge. Part I - Structural dynamic characteristics and analysis model”, Wind and Structures. 10(6): 543-554.

6.          Law, S.S., Yang, Q.S. and Y.L. Fang. (2007) “Experimental studies on possible vortex shedding in a suspension bridge. Part II - Results when under typhoon BABS and YORK.” Wind and Structures, 10(6): 555-576.

7.          Li, C.W. and Chan, S.L. (2004) “Directionality reduction effect of design wind loads on Hong Kong buildings”, HKIE transactions, 11(4): 1-4.

8.          Li, C.W. and Wong, L.L. (2004) “An Immersed Boundary Finite Difference Method for LES of Flow Around Bluff Shapes”, International Journal of Numerical Methods in Fluids, 46: 85-107.

9.          Xu, Y.L. (1995) “Determination of wind-induced fatigue loading on roof cladding”, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, 121(9): 956-963.

10.       Xu, Y.L., Sun, D.K., Ko, J.M., and Lin, J.H. (1998) “Buffeting analysis of long span bridges: a new algorithm”, Journal of  Computers & Structures, 68(4): 303-313.

11.       Xu,Y.L. and Zhan, S. (2001) “Field measurement of Di Wang Tower during Typhoon York”, Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 89: 73-93.

12.       Xu, Y.L. and Chen, J. (2004) “Characterizing non-stationary wind speed using empirical mode decomposition”, Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE. 130(6): 912-920.

13.       Xu, Y.L. and Zhu, L.D. (2005) “Buffeting response of long span cable-supported bridges under skew winds-Part II: case study”, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 281: 675-697.

14.       Xu, Y.L., Guo, W.W., Chen, J., Shum, K.M. and Xia, H. (2007) “Dynamic response of suspension bridge to typhoon and trains. I: field measurement results”, Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE，133(1): 3-11.

Contact Information of the Contact Person

Prof. You-Lin Xu
Department of Civil & Structural Engineering
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Kowloon, Hong Kong

Fax:      + 852 - 2334 6389
Phone:   + 852 - 2766 6050
E-mail:  ceylxu@polyu.edu.hk

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Research Centre for Urban Hazards Mitigation