Steady wind pressures on solar collectors on flat-roofed buildings

Abstract Tests carried out in the boundary layer wind tunnel of the Civil Engineering Department in Iassy investigated the characteristics of steady-state wind loads affecting rectangular flat solar collectors of two different sizes mounted in clusters on the flat roofs of five-story buildings. A key conclusion of the study was that, in comparison with isolated flat plates, the wind loads on solar collectors are significantly reduced by the sheltering effects of the first row of collectors and of the building itself.