PNEC-NUST NDT CENTER

Damage Tolerance Analysis of Boundary Wall-

NUST

Stress Analysis of Structure due to Wind Pressure using CFD & FEA

Supervised by:

Cdr. Dr. Tariq Mairaj PN

Authored by:

Shahroz Habib & S/Lt. Usman Mehmood

Report Date:

02-Feb-18

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Contents
Introduction: .................................................................................................................... 3
CAD-Model: ..................................................................................................................... 4
CFD Simulation: .............................................................................................................. 4
Theoretical Wind Load calculation: ................................................................................. 5
Static Simulation: ............................................................................................................ 6
Conclusion: ..................................................................................................................... 7
References: ..................................................................................................................... 7
Acknowledgements: ........................................................................................................ 7

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Introduction:
Stress analysis of new boundary walls affixed in Plain Cement Concrete (PCC) is
performed to determine the safety once subjected to strong winds. The boundary wall is
continuous galvanized iron (GI) pipe-based structure with Corrugated Galvanized Iron
(CGI) sheet. Since the structure is continuous and homogeneous, the stress applied on
each unit is uniform. Therefore, we have considered unit structure for Structural
analysis.

Figure 1 Boundary Wall Extension

Initially, the truss structure is created using Solidworks®. After dimensional verification,
the wind data (maximum wind speed) is acquired from the literature. Then, the wind
loading pressure is calculated analytically using fluid mechanics equations. Then, the
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is performed to confirm the wind loading pressure
accumulated on the structure, as computed using the equation. Finally, the stress
analysis is performed to access the safety offered by the design once subjected to high
speed winds. Finally, the available safety factor has been concluded.

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CAD-Model:
The CAD model has been generated using actual dimensions of the structure with
following salients:

a. . Since, the material of the sheet and poles is Corrugated Galvanized Iron (CGI);
the yield stress is around 248 MPa.
b. The PCC block has been embedded in earth which has been assumed fixed. The
structure has been kept flexible along with wavy pattern used in the CGI sheet.
c. The model has been developed using Solidworks and Structural steel has been
used as the material.

Figure 2 Dimension of GI Structure Figure 3 Solidworks 3D Model

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulation:

The initial effort has been based on evaluating the force due to wind speed of around 16
m/s. This is the maximum wind speed recorded in Karachi at the coastal belt [1]. CFD
has been performed in Solidworks. The drag force was around 890 N which provided
pressure around 225 Pa. However, the lift force is negligible according to CFD
simulation. In order to verify the results, analytical calculations have been performed.

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 Figure 4 CFD Analysis-Pressure Contours

Figure 5 CFD Results- Drag Force and Co-efficient

Analytical Wind Pressure calculation:

In parallel, we have used fluid mechanics’ equation to analyze the maximum drag
applicable on the structure.

(1)

The drag coefficient (CD) has been calculated as 1.45 for normal to the surface [2] and
as 9.87 for parallel to the surface [2]. The density (ρ) is around 1.24 kg/m 3 and wind
velocity (v) is around 16 m/s. Using (1), lift (FL) and drag (FD) forces were calculated and
applied over the surface area of 4 m2 to provide lift and drag pressures as 1566.6 Pa
and 237.7 Pa respectively. Since analytical results were much higher than CFD results,
they were considered for static simulation.
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Static Simulation:

After wind load evaluation, stress analysis is performed on ANSYS-Static ®.Tetrahedral

mesh is formed with medium refinement. The loads due to wind, as computed during
CFD, were applied in Static Structural analysis in ANSYS. The deformation and
equivalent von-mises stress were evaluated. According to simulation, the maximum
deformation was around 36 mm and the maximum stress was around 96.4 MPa as
shown below.

Figure 6 Deformation of GI structure

Figure 7 Stress Analysis of GI structure

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Conclusion:
Based on the maximum stress and material selected, the factor of safety is around 2.64.
The stress results show that structure is safe under maximum wind conditions [1].

References:
[1] M.A. Hussain , Shaheen Abbas*, M.R.K. Ansari , Asma Zaffar and Bulbul Jan, Wind
Speed Analysis of Some Coastal Areas near Karachi

[2] John Cimbala, Yunus A Cengel, “Essentials of Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and
Applications”

Acknowledgements:
Usman Mehmood has helped in Solidworks CFD analysis and Site Visit.