CONSTRUCTION AND TESTING OF A WIND-TUNNEL FOR IN-DOOR INVESTIGATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL-EFFECTS ON BUILDINGS

Constructional details of a locally-built wind tunnel test facility ar e given. The facility was designed and constructed at the Building Res earch Center, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt and was tested as part of a comprehe nsive project on in-door investigation of the problem of building/envi ronment interaction. The rig was constructed such that a wid range of environmental conditions could be provided for a series of tests on bu ilding model configurations. For this purpose, turbulence-generating a s will as velocity-profile-generating grids were manufactured and moun ted upstream of the working section. Atmospheric conditions (turbulent wind with atmospheric boundary layer) could therefore be simulated. T he flow in the working section was examined with various grid combinat ions and locations. Velocity contours and velocity profiles were plott ed and the best possible combination and location of grids were thus d etermined.