Comparative Study of External Wind Flow Dynamics Around a High-Rise Building Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Authors

  • Ming Yao Lau Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia
  • Jeng Yip Kuan Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia
  • Harith Redhuan Abd Rahman Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia
  • Yu Heng Foo Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia
  • Enilson Palatus Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37934/sjotfe.10.1.111a

Keywords:

Computational fluid dynamics, high-rise building, vortex shedding, drag coefficient, boundary layer separation

Abstract

This study presents a 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation evaluating external wind flow dynamics around a simplified 30m × 30m × 150m high-rise building. High-rise structures experience intense fluid-structure interactions, leading to boundary layer separation, high stagnation pressure, and complex wake profiles. To prevent numerical artifacts, a structured virtual wind tunnel domain was constructed around the building model. Numerical consistency was verified through a Grid Independence Test (GIT) across four mesh variants (coarse, medium, fine, and very fine). Steady-state simulations were then executed in ANSYS Fluent using a double-precision finite volume solver with the Shear Stress Transport (SST) k-ω turbulence model. A parametric comparison was conducted across inlet wind speeds of 10 m/s, 15 m/s, and 20 m/s. Key findings reveal a strong positive stagnation pressure zone on the windward face, rapid flow acceleration with steep pressure gradients around the sharp 90-degree corners, and symmetrical low-pressure cores downstream that trigger periodic vortex shedding. The time-averaged drag coefficient (Cd) showed high accuracy, validating against wind tunnel benchmarks with a relative error under 4.5%. Ultimately, while pressure and force load scale with velocity, the geometric morphology of the separated wake remains invariant due to fixed separation lines at the sharp edges.

Author Biographies

Ming Yao Lau, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia

ad220154@student.uthm.edu.my

Jeng Yip Kuan , Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia

ad220123@student.uthm.edu.my

Harith Redhuan Abd Rahman, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia

ad220181@student.uthm.edu.my

Yu Heng Foo, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia

ad220147@student.uthm.edu.my

Enilson Palatus, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, Malaysia

ad220086@student.uthm.edu.my

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Published

2026-09-29

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1: September (2026)

Section

Articles