Numerical Study of Flow and Gas Diffusion in the Near-Wake behind an Isolated Building

To assist validation of the experimental data of urban pollution dispersion, the effect of an isolated building on the flow and gaseous diffusion in the wake region have been investigated numerically in the neutrally stratified rough-walled turbulent boundary layer. Numerical studies were carried out using Computational Fluid Dynamics （CFD） models. The CFD models used for the simulation were based on the steady-state Reynolds-Average Navier-Stoke equations （RANS） with κ-ε turbulence models; standard κ-ε and RNG κ-ε models. Inlet conditions and boundary conditions were specified numerically to the best information available for each fluid modeling simulation. A gas pollutant was emitted from a point source within the recirculation cavity behind the building model. The accuracy of these simulations was examined by comparing the predicted results with wind tunnel experimental data. It was confirmed that simulation using the model accurately reproduces the velocity and concentration diffusion fields with a fine-mish resolution in the near wake region. Results indicated that there is a good agreement between the numerical simulation and the wind tunnel experiment for both wind flow and concentration diffusion. The results of this work can help to improve the understanding of mechanisms of and simulation of pollutant transport in an urban environment.

Recent developments in seismically isolated buildings in Japan

The Building Standard Law of Japan and related Enforcement Order and Notifications have been substantially revised since the year 2000 to introduce a performance-based regulatory and deregulation system for building control systems. Up to then,time-history analyses were mandatory for isolated buildings and had to be specially approved by the Minster of the Ministry of Construction (MOC).Simplified design procedures based on the equivalent linear method for seismically isolated buildings have been issued as'Notification 2009-Structnral calculation procedure for buildings with seismic isolation'from MOC,and are now integrated into the Ministry of Land,Infrastructure,and Transportation (MLIT).Along with Notification 2009,'Notification 1446 of year 2000-Standard for specifications and test methods for seismic isolation devices'was also issued.Buildings with heights equal to or less than 60m and that are designed according to these Notifications,including base isolated buildings,only need approval from local building officials,and no longer require the special approval of the Minister of MLIT.This paper summarizes:1) some statistics related to buildings with seismic isolation completed up to the end of 2001; 2) simplified design procedures required by Notification 2009 of year 2000;and 3) performance of seismic isolation devices required by Notification 1446 of year 2000.

Physio-chemical modeling of the NO_(x)-O_(3) photochemical cycle and the air pollutants’ reactive dispersion around an isolated building

A numerical physio-chemical model of the NO_(x)-O_(3) photochemical cycle in the near-wake region of an isolated residential/office building has been presented in this study.The investigation delves into the dispersion of reactive air pollutants through the lens of fluid phenomenology and its impact on chemical reactivity,formation,transport,deposition,and removal.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulations were conducted for the ground-point-source(GES)and roof-pointsource(RES)scenarios.Results show that the Damköhler number(Da),which quantifies pollutants’physio-chemical timescales,displays a strong inverse proportionality with the magnitude and spread of NO–increasing Da reduces human exposure to the toxic NO and NO_(2) substantially.When different wind directions were considered,the dispersion range of NO exhibited varying shrinking directions as Da increased.Furthermore,as Da increases,the concentration ratio KNO_(2)/KNO_(x),which quantifies the production of NO_(2) resulting from NO depletion,forms sharp high-low gradients near emission sources.For GES,the dispersion pattern is governed by the fluid’s phenomenological features.For RES,the intoxicated area emanates from the building’s leading-edge,with the lack of shielding inhibiting pollutant interactions in the near-wake,resulting in scant physio-chemical coupling.The NO_(2)/NO_(x) distribution follows a self-similar,stratified pattern,exhibiting consistent layering gradients and attributing to the natural deposition of the already-reacted pollutants rather than in-situ reactions.In the end,building design guidelines have been proposed to reduce pedestrian and resident exposure to NO_(x)-O_(3).

Safety analysis of pedestrian and roadway dimensional-dividing buildings

The safety performance of pedestrian and roadway dimensional-dividing buildings under seismic excitations are analysed. Considering the large displacement of the isolator bearing during earthquake, the gravity force becomes the dominant forces because of the accumulated permanent deformations in the building, which results in the structure collapse due to lateral instability. A mod- el is established based on an inelastic time history analysis to consider P - z~ effects in multi-degree- of-freedom. A safety criterion of the system is defined. The influence of the stiffness of an independ- ent column is revealed and compared with the influence of the shear force of the independent column to analyze the safety of the structures. Numerical results show that the special structure of pedestrian and roadway dimensional-dividing buildings can reduce the risk of the building in earthquake. The suitable section and height of the independent column greatly affect the building safety.

Aseismic smart building isolation systems under multi-level earthquake excitations： Part II, energy-dissipation and damage reduction

Based on the performance results of the previously suggested smart building isolation systems （lst companion paper）, this following study verifies the control effects of the systems from the view point of energy dissipation and damage level metrics. Several different model cases of the strategically isolated multi-story building structures utilizing passive dampers and semi-active resettable devices are analyzed and the energy-based target indices are compared. Performance comparisons are conducted on statistically calculated story/structural hysteretic energy and story/structural damage demands over realistic suites of earthquake ground motion records, representing seismic excitations of specific return period probability. Again, the semi-active solutions show significant promise for applications ofresettable device, offering advantages over passive systems in the consistent damage reductions. The specific results of this study include the identification of differences in the mechanisms by which smart building isolation systems remove energy, based on the differences in the devices used. Less variability is also seen for the semi-active isolation systems, indicating an increased robustness.

Aseismic smart building isolation systems under multi-level earthquake excitations： Part I, conceptual design and nonlinear analysis

As a novel structural control strategy, tuned mass damper （TMD） inspired passive and semi-active smart building isolation systems are suggested to reduce structural response and thus mitigate structural damage due to earthquake excitations. The isolated structure＇s upper stories can be utilized as a large scaled TMD, and the isolation layer, as a core design point, between the separated upper and lower stories entails the insertion of rubber bearings and （i） viscous dampers （passive） or （ii） resettable devices （semi-active）. The seismic performance of the suggested isolation systems are investigated for 12-story reinforced concrete moment resisting flames modeled as ＂10 ~ 2＂ stories and ＂8 ＋ 4＂ stories. Passive viscous damper or semi-active resettable devices are parametrically evaluated through the optimal design principle of a large mass ratio TMD. Statistical performance metrics are presented for 30 earthquake records from the three suites of the SAC project. Based on nonlinear structural models, including P-delta effects and modified Takeda hysteresis, the inelastic time history analyses are conducted to compute the seismic performances across a wide range of seismic hazard intensities. Results show that semi-active smart building isolation systems can effectively manage seismic response for multi-degree-of freedom （MDOF） systems across a broader range of ground motions in comparison to uncontrolled case and passive solution.