Existing studies about wind pressure on agricultural greenhouse buildings concentrate on the mean wind pressure while ignoring the systematic research on fluctuating wind pressure characteristics and the influence of roof shape on the wind pressure characteristics, which are closely associated with the wind-induced damage mechanism. In this study, two typical agricultural greenhouse buildings on tropical islands are selected as prototypes to conduct pressure measurement experiments in the wind tunnel. Based on the wind pressure time series for the two greenhouses, the mean and fluctuating wind pressure distribution pattern and the localized high-pressure generation mechanism are analyzed. Then, the shape coefficient of the two greenhouses is compared in depth to the standards from four countries. Besides, wind pressure non-Gaussian determination criteria for agricultural greenhouse buildings considering the roof shape and wind directions are proposed. Lastly, the differences in wind pressure spectra on the roofs and walls of the two greenhouses are summarized. The results indicate the roof shape has a significant influence on the wind pressure characteristics. Compared with the pitched roof, the vaulted roof will increase the suction effect on the windward front zone and the middle area, mitigate the suction impact on the leeward roof, and weaken the wind pressure non-Gaussian characteristics. The experimental shape coefficient of the pitched-roof greenhouse is basically consistent with the standard from the U.S., while that of the vaulted-roof greenhouse has some deviation from the existing standards. The results provide a theoretical basis for the wind-resistant design of agricultural greenhouse buildings on tropical islands.
Windblown sand two-phase flow characteristics become an essential factor in evaluating the windblown sand load on infrastructures and civil structures. Based on the measured wind characteristics in arid desert regions, windblown sand flow fields with three kinds of sand beds are simulated in the wind tunnel, respectively. The results indicate that the characteristic saltation height of sand particles increases with the wind speed and particle size in the windblown sand flow field. As the sand concentration increases, the wind speed decreases, and the turbulence intensity increases. The concentration, energy, and impact pressure of sand particles increase with increasing wind speed and decrease exponentially with increasing height. At the same wind speed, the concentration, energy, and impact pressure of the coarse sand, fine sand, and mixed sand increases, in turn. Moreover, the variation of kinetic energy with height is similar to that of total energy with height and the proportion of potential energy to total energy is quite small.