Research on controlling measures of snowdrifts around Arctic ground-based buildings through shape optimization

Abstract

Elevated structures in the Arctic region have proven effective in mitigating surrounding snowdrifts by enhancing the airflow beneath, and serve as a preferred architectural form. However, ground-based buildings still occupy the dominant position due to the constraints posed by construction costs and foundation conditions. One of the effective measures to reduce and prevent snowdrifts around such buildings is to modify their aerodynamic shapes. Therefore, this research endeavors to explore measures for controlling snowdrifts around ground-based buildings through shape optimization. Initially, the predictive accuracy of a refined Mixture model for simulating snowdrifts around ground-based structures was checked against wind tunnel test results. Based on the validated numerical model and representative Arctic meteorological conditions, the snowdrift controlling effects by changing the overall and local building shapes were investigated separately. Overall, the snow reduction and prevention effects can be effectively achieved for ground-based buildings with smoother sidewalls, such as those featuring a circular plane. Conversely, for traditional rectangular ground-based buildings, a larger downwind aspect ratio and a more inclined windward surface can significantly diminish peak snow depth. Additionally, the measures by adding windward side chamfering can effectively manage the locations of snow erosion areas, thereby enabling flexible placement of entrances and exits.