Finite elements and finite volumes methods in wind engineering applications

In view of the importance of understanding and predicting the effects of wind on wide-span membranes and inflatable structures, a complementary experimental-numerical campaign was conducted to demonstrate the physical importance of numerical simulations in this field and to discuss relevant modeling aspects. This work aims, on the one hand, to examine the effects of some main CFD modeling decisions, such as mesh resolution, turbulence modeling, wall functions, etc., on the accuracy of simulation results. On the other hand, to compare the two most popular CFD numerical technologies (Finite Volumes and Finite Elements Methods), using the open-source frameworks OpenFOAM and Kratos Multiphysics, respectively. This parametric study and cross-validation will contribute to the ultimate goal of obtaining practical and reliable predictive numerical simulations in the field of wind engineering. This paper discusses the numerical modeling approaches of the first and fundamental step of a systematic chain of test cases, performed experimentally. It focuses on the case where a constant uniform flow and a rigid inflatable membrane structure are considered. Further extensions will include ABL flow scenarios and fluid-structure interaction.