Reynolds Number Effects on Wind Pressure Distributions of 3∶1 Rectangular Prisms with Various Rounded Corners

Abstract:

Experiments were conducted of measuring wind pressures on the surface of 3∶1 rectangular prisms with rounded corner ratio of 0, 5%, 10% and 15% in low turbulence uniform flow for the testing Reynolds number ranging from 1.1×105 to 6.8×105. The Reynolds number effects on wind pressure distributions were studied, and the mechanisms of Reynolds number effects were revealed by analyzing the variations of the flow around the model. The results show that wind pressure distributions of four models are all affected by the Reynolds number. Compared with the models with 0 and 5%, the wind pressure distributions of models with 10% and 15% are more sensitive to the Reynolds number. The corner rounding modification influences the Reynolds number effects of 3∶1 rectangular prisms by affecting the formation of the separated shear layer, which also affects the flow reattachment of the boundary layer as well as the aerodynamics of the body.