Influence of openings on the snowdrift characteristics of cubes.

Snow drifts and accumulates under wind actions, leading to a complex distribution of snow around and on the surface of structures with openings, which in turn has a detrimental influence on the structures. There is no relevant code provision for this situation. Therefore, a wind tunnel study was car...

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Main Authors: Xintong Jiang, Hanbo Cui, Shenghao Guo, Zongyun Mo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325545
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author Xintong Jiang
Hanbo Cui
Shenghao Guo
Zongyun Mo
author_facet Xintong Jiang
Hanbo Cui
Shenghao Guo
Zongyun Mo
author_sort Xintong Jiang
collection DOAJ
description Snow drifts and accumulates under wind actions, leading to a complex distribution of snow around and on the surface of structures with openings, which in turn has a detrimental influence on the structures. There is no relevant code provision for this situation. Therefore, a wind tunnel study was carried out to experimentally investigate how opening size and vertical location (for cubes with single openings) and how the relative positions of different openings (for cubes with multiple openings) influenced the wind-induced snowdrifts around and on the surface of cubes with openings. A roughness coefficient was introduced to characterize the snow around cubes. It was found that snow accumulation at the side of the cube produced a greater uneven snow load. The number and vertical location of openings were the main factors influencing the roughness of the snow. The snow depth coefficient (Cs) around and on the surface of a cube is approximately negatively correlated with opening size and approximately positively correlated with opening vertical location. The simultaneous existence of openings on the windward, side and top faces of a cube adversely affected the safety of the surroundings of the cube. The variation pattern of fractal characteristic of particles, D, was similar to that of Cs when the snow was fully eroded at the windward corner of the cube. These findings will help improve the accuracy of snow distribution pattern prediction and enhance the safety and rationality of the structural design of buildings.
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spelling doaj-art-a4e065af46904cf29a91e23d464a8eeb2025-08-20T03:22:49ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01206e032554510.1371/journal.pone.0325545Influence of openings on the snowdrift characteristics of cubes.Xintong JiangHanbo CuiShenghao GuoZongyun MoSnow drifts and accumulates under wind actions, leading to a complex distribution of snow around and on the surface of structures with openings, which in turn has a detrimental influence on the structures. There is no relevant code provision for this situation. Therefore, a wind tunnel study was carried out to experimentally investigate how opening size and vertical location (for cubes with single openings) and how the relative positions of different openings (for cubes with multiple openings) influenced the wind-induced snowdrifts around and on the surface of cubes with openings. A roughness coefficient was introduced to characterize the snow around cubes. It was found that snow accumulation at the side of the cube produced a greater uneven snow load. The number and vertical location of openings were the main factors influencing the roughness of the snow. The snow depth coefficient (Cs) around and on the surface of a cube is approximately negatively correlated with opening size and approximately positively correlated with opening vertical location. The simultaneous existence of openings on the windward, side and top faces of a cube adversely affected the safety of the surroundings of the cube. The variation pattern of fractal characteristic of particles, D, was similar to that of Cs when the snow was fully eroded at the windward corner of the cube. These findings will help improve the accuracy of snow distribution pattern prediction and enhance the safety and rationality of the structural design of buildings.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325545
spellingShingle Xintong Jiang
Hanbo Cui
Shenghao Guo
Zongyun Mo
Influence of openings on the snowdrift characteristics of cubes.
PLoS ONE
title Influence of openings on the snowdrift characteristics of cubes.
title_full Influence of openings on the snowdrift characteristics of cubes.
title_fullStr Influence of openings on the snowdrift characteristics of cubes.
title_full_unstemmed Influence of openings on the snowdrift characteristics of cubes.
title_short Influence of openings on the snowdrift characteristics of cubes.
title_sort influence of openings on the snowdrift characteristics of cubes
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325545
work_keys_str_mv AT xintongjiang influenceofopeningsonthesnowdriftcharacteristicsofcubes
AT hanbocui influenceofopeningsonthesnowdriftcharacteristicsofcubes
AT shenghaoguo influenceofopeningsonthesnowdriftcharacteristicsofcubes
AT zongyunmo influenceofopeningsonthesnowdriftcharacteristicsofcubes