Fast vortex methods for predicting wind-induced pressures on buildings

The random vortex method is a Lagrangian particle-based numerical simulation scheme especially appropriate for fluid flows characterized by high Reynolds numbers and complex geometries. When coupled with a fast solver for computing vortex interactions, it becomes ideally suited for wind engineering simulations. Fast vortex methods have several advantages over grid-based methods because they do not suffer from numerical diffusion, are simpler to implement particularly as the geometry becomes more complex, and are likely to exploit the architecture of distributed-memory computers more effectively. In this paper, initial results are presented for a fast vortex two-dimensional simulation of the atmospheric boundary layer wind flow around a bluff body under open terrain conditions. The results compare favorably with full-scale measurements for the well known instrumented Texas Tech Building.