Wind design aims to ensure the stability, safety, and durability of a structure exposed to wind forces. This comparative study using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was conducted to evaluate the effects of surrounding structures in wind building design. Two scenarios were analyzed: the first, in which the building was exposed to an open field, and the second, in which the building was surrounded by other buildings of equal or lower height. A CFD model, previously calibrated with experimental data, was used to simulate wind behavior. The results obtained showed significant differences between the two scenarios, confirming that nearby structures have a considerable impact on the distribution of wind pressures on the building. Therefore, the importance of considering surrounding buildings is highlighted. CFD could be a useful complementary tool for obtaining pressure coefficients and for detailed analyses of wind behavior, which could improve the design and safety of buildings under wind loads.

The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB), located in central Mexico, is an area for which low to moderate seismic risk is considered. This is based on the limited instrumental data available, even though large historical earthquakes have damaged some urban centers in the past. However, site effects is an aspect that must be considered in estimating risk, because there are some instances of important amplifications that have been documented with serious effects. In this work, ambient noise and earthquake records from 90 seismic permanent and temporary stations are used to analyze site response in the TMVB. The results obtained show a heterogeneous range in the value of the fundamental frequency. When possible, a comparison was made of the results obtained from ambient noise and earthquake records. In almost all these comparisons, no significant differences were observed in terms of the fundamental frequency. However, there were some stations with a flat average HVSR ambient noise curve that contradicted earthquake data results, which showed peaks at some frequencies. Our results are a first step towards categorizing the different site responses in the TMVB but in order to provide finer details, it is necessary to improve the actual monitoring conditions.

Aims: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the nonlinear stability of a self supports roof with different spans subjected to wind loads. Specifically, this study investigated the behavior considering geometric and material imperfections and nonlinearities, obtaining the buckling load before the structural system loses stability. Study Design: For this research, a computational approach was used, employing the finite element method to estimate the stability of self-supporting roofs under wind loads for different spans. The models were analyzed using eigenvalue buckling, and for non-linear buckling, a solution was found using the full Newton-Raphson method. Place and Duration of Study: Faculty of Engineering (postgraduate division), Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (UAQ), between June 2024 and November 2025. Methodology: Four different scenarios were modeled in ANSYS Workbench, varying the length of the self-supporting roofs, using Shell181 elements for section MIC 240.The material used was ASTM A1008 Grade 33 cold-rolled structural steel. The critical load for linear buckling under wind loads was estimated by the CFE and INEEL wind design manual. Subsequently, in new models, stability was estimated considering imperfections, geometric and material nonlinearities, and the deformed configuration of the first buckling mode analyzed, in order to consider a degree of imperfection for each scenario. The critical load for nonlinear buckling was obtained, and the results obtained in the linear and nonlinear cases were compared. Results: The results for most of the scenarios evaluated showed that the critical load for nonlinear buckling is greater than that for linear buckling. Load increases of up to 275% were obtained, demonstrating that, for some load cases due to the pressures and suctions applied to the system, as well as the geometry of the arch, membrane effects occurred, increasing the stiffness of the roof. In addition, it was demonstrated that stability review is important for thin-walled structures, because even with an increase in critical load due to nonlinear buckling, in most scenarios the system becomes unstable before reaching the limit states for stress and deformation. Conclusion: This study suggests the importance of evaluating stability in self-supporting roofs, since instabilities can occur before reaching the design and service limit states. Likewise, it is necessary to evaluate linear and nonlinear buckling, since in some cases, depending on the geometry of the roof and the wind loads applied, the load capacity due to nonlinear buckling may be greater or less than that calculated using the linear method. The results obtained can serve as a basis for the development of a standardized procedure or even for the future incorporation of specific guidelines into technical standards, given that this type of review is not currently formally regulated.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a useful tool that is currently integrated into the industry at large. It is used for maintaining, designing, operating, and analyzing equipment or structures in contact with fluids, such as wind impacting tall buildings. Additionally, it encourages engineering innovation through simulators that help studying flow behavior. This work was conducted to assess the accuracy of CFD simulations compared to experimental studies, such as wind tunnel tests and full-scale studies. Based on data from a study by Kikuchi et al. (2024), where wind pressure samples were taken from the surfaces of a tall building, a model was created using CFD simulations, and the results were contrasted with the experimental data. The findings show that polyhexacore meshing reduces computational costs and attains 92% accuracy relative to experimental studies, which signals its efficiency in wind assessments in buildings.

Wind design aims to ensure the stability, safety, and durability of a structure exposed to wind forces. Therefore, a comparative study using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was conducted to evaluate the effects of surrounding structures in wind building design. Two scenarios were analyzed: the first, in which the building was exposed to an open field, and the second, in which the building was surrounded by other buildings of equal or lower height. A CFD model, previously calibrated with experimental data, was used to simulate wind behavior. The results obtained showed significant differences between the two scenarios, confirming that nearby structures have a considerable impact on the distribution of wind pressures on the building. Therefore, the importance of considering surrounding buildings is highlighted. It is suggested that CFD can be a useful complementary tool for obtaining pressure coefficients and for the detailed analysis of wind behavior, which could improve the design and safety of buildings under wind loads.