Testing aerodynamic problems of historical buildings

Due to the shape and uniqueness of historical and listed buildings, which is completely different from the modern building practice, the data recommended by professional literature or standards cannot be used for the calculations of wind load, or can only be used for rough estimation. The exact knlowledge of wind loading on these structures comes especially during reconstruction and preservation into play.

Determining the wind load of tall buildings

By increasing the height of the building, the wind load affecting the building becomes one of the most significant load that the building has to be dimensioned to. While in case of simple shapes, the applicable regional standards (EUROCODE, ASCE etc.) provide for the calculation of wind load with great accuracy, using experiments with models in a wind tunnel, the effect of the wind to the building can be accurately determined for complex shapes as well, thereby saving construction costs.

Simulation of multiple internal boundary layers above lake surfaces

One of the fundamental physical factors in a lake environment is the wind. The consequent acceleration of the wind (which arrives from the direction of the lake shore or  the reed belt) over the open lake surface  is a major factor in the energy balance and wind-induced flows of our reed-covered lakes. The explanation for this is known: over the course of the wind an internal boundary layer develops below each roughness jump. One of the main questions of the research is how precisely can the improved algebraic internal boundary layer models be applied for the interpolation of wind measurements or downscaling fields of predicting models which have insufficient resolution to describe internal boundary layers.

Adapting engineering CFD software for simulation of flow above complex terrain and various surface covers

Numerical modelling of the turbulent atmospheric boundary layer is becoming more and more important in environmental protection due to its role in improving air quality, exploiting wind energy and climate-conscious urban planning. During the development of numerical models it is important that there is good quality measurement data available to adjust the model parameters and to check the model quantitatively. The measurement results produced by systematic wind tunnel experiments (performed with the goals of the model development in mind) would have a big role in improving the numerical models developed by us.

Assessing the atmospheric dispersion of accidental pollution

The forecast of the propagation of air pollutants released to air intentionally or during accidents may provide great assistance to disaster management authorities. Apart from local measurements, wind tunnel experiments also play an important role in the validation of fast forecast models used for this purpose.

Vibration testing of tensile fabric structures

Tensile fabric structures are supporting fixtures that became popular in the second half of the 20^th century. These are tensioned structures made of technical textiles, which offer a light, elegant and often extremely economical solution for covering spaces due to the used materials and solutions. In the past decades, serious research has been conducted in order to resolve the mechanical problems in relation to tensile fabric structures.

Determination of the shape coefficients of steel radio tower joints

The new wind tunnel in the Atmospheric Flow Laboratory will provide possibilities to investigate the wind load on cell towers experimentally.

Determination of the dynamic wind load on water towers

The common feature of tall and slender water towers is that the wind interacts with their big surface in a great height above the ground. Their circular symmetry results in vortex shedding behind the tower and the tank, which inflicts great transverse dynamic load on the structure.