Adequacy of Wind Ventilation in Upgraded Shelters. Summary.

Abstract : The objective of this study was to assess the adequacy of natural ventilation for application to upgrade shelters; i.e., shelters having full earth berms with at least 6 inches of earth overhead. It was realized that the wind induced ventilation air flow rate through a building is a complex function of several geometric and flow variables. Important among these variables are wind speed, wind direction, boundary layer profile of the approaching wind, building geometry, areas and locations of windows and doors, internal obstacles within the building, and the nature and proximity of neighboring buildings and obstructions. Data acquisition from experiments of full size buildings was considered expensive and time consuming. The approach taken therefore, was to conduct controlled tests on properly designed scaled model systems. A series of tests were designed to yield a clear understanding of the effects of the important variables individually, and in groups, on the ventilation airflow rates. The building geometry was kept relatively simple and internal flow resistances were excluded. Natural ventilation due to thermal effects were also ignored since the shelters were considered to be one story high. (Author)