Aerodynamic characteristics and lateral displacements of a set of two buildings in a linked tall building system

This study evaluates the aerodynamic characteristics and lateral displacements of two staggered buildings in a linked-building (LB) system. Particle image velocimetry and pressure measurements are employed, and the lateral displacement is evaluated using a 3-dimensional analytical model. When the gap distance between two non-linked buildings is small, the wind flows in a narrow jet, and a strong suction is generated on the inner surfaces of the two buildings, leading to a large cross-wind-induced response. However, the cross-wind-induced response is significantly reduced when a link is installed, because the suction forces generated from the buildings are in opposite directions and have a negative aerodynamic correlation. Conversely, with a large gap distance, the buildings at the front obstruct the wind blowing toward the rear buildings. Therefore, while the pressure distribution, wind-force coefficients, and wind-induced responses of the front and rear buildings show similar trends, the magnitude of impact on the front building is larger than that on the rear building. Installing a link is demonstrated to reduce the wind-induced response of the buildings in an LB system. However, the reduction in the along-wind-induced response is less than that in the cross-wind-induced response when the gap distance is small.