Determining wind loading of structures through wind flow simulation
AssigneeAutodesk, Inc.
InventorsGrzegorz Skiba, Leslaw Janus, Krzysztof Buchacz, Marcin Danielak, Brian M. Frank
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Abstract
A method, system, apparatus, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to automatically simulate a wind load. An analytical model is converted into a solid model. A wind flow on the solid model is simulated to determine pressures on structural elements of the solid model. The simulating is repeated until the pressures converge. The pressures are converted to loads on the structural elements. Load cases are generated with equivalent loads on the structural elements.
Claims14
A computer-implemented method for automatically simulating a wind load, comprising:
- converting, in a computer, an analytical model to a computer solid model by assigning parameters that influence the wind flow to the computer solid model and automatically generating a computer solid modeling façade for the analytical model, wherein:
- the parameters comprise identifying one or more of the elements as open or closed;
- the computer solid modeling façade comprises non-structural elements that transfer the loads to a structural frame;
- and
- the analytical model comprises a geometric representation of a structural system;
- creating, in the computer, a virtual wind tunnel by simulating a wind flow on the computer solid model to determine pressures on structural elements of the computer solid model;
- repeating, in the computer, the simulating until convergence of the pressures;
- converting, in the computer, the pressures to loads on the structural elements;
- and
- generating, in the computer, load cases with equivalent load on the structural elements.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with computer program instructions which when accessed by a computer cause the computer to load the program instructions to a memory therein creating a special purpose data structure causing the computer to operate as a specially programmed computer, executing a method of automatically simulating a wind load, comprising:
- converting, in the specially programmed computer, an analytical model to a solid model by assigning parameters that influence the wind flow to the computer solid model and automatically generating a computer solid modeling façade for the analytical model, wherein:
- the parameters comprise identifying one or more of the elements as open or closed;
- the computer solid modeling façade comprises non-structural elements that transfer the loads to a structural frame;
- and
- the analytical model comprises a geometric representation of a structural system;
- creating a virtual wind tunnel by simulating, in the specially programmed computer, a wind flow on the computer solid model to determine pressures on structural elements of the computer solid model;
- repeating, in the specially programmed computer, the simulating until convergence of the pressures;
- converting, in the specially programmed computer, the pressures to loads on the structural elements;
- and
- generating, in the specially programmed computer, load cases with equivalent load on the structural elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.