Comparative CFD Analysis of Major and Minor Aerodynamic Modifications for Tall Building Shapes under Wind Loading

Year : 2026 | Volume : 13 | Issue : 02 | Page : 9 35
By

Tanmay Rajiv Jadhav,

Yuwaraj M. Ghugal,

  1. , Student, Department of Applied Mechanics, Government College of Engineering, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, India, ,
  2. , Professor, Department of Applied Mechanics, Government College of Engineering, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, India, ,

Abstract

Aerodynamic performance of tall buildings is significant to structural safety and serviceability under wind. The major and minor aerodynamic changes of the tall building shape are compared with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The base model was a rectangle of 75 m × 75 m × 300 m. Various aerodynamic modifications of shapes were examined: circular, elliptical, tapered, twisted, rounded-corner, and chamfered-corner shapes. Simulations were carried out in the ANSYS Fluent software, with the same boundary conditions. The velocity profile, pressure contours, streamlines, and the formation of wake were considered as the criteria for flow behavior. It was discovered that this sharp-cornered rectangle model had quite a lot of flow separation and a large wake area. Significant modifications (elliptical, tapered) have relatively smooth flow and minimized wake. There are also good gains in flow separation observed in the smaller changes, like rounded corners. Moderate improvement over baseline is seen at chamfered corners. The results indicate that major and minor geometric changes have a significant influence on aerodynamic behavior. Major modifications mainly affect the global flow structure. Minor modifications improve the local flow characteristics near edges and corners. Among the investigated configurations, elliptical and tapered shapes demonstrated improved aerodynamic performance under identical CFD conditions. Elliptical and tapered configurations showed the smallest wake regions and lowest normalized drag coefficients among all investigated cases. The findings may assist in preliminary aerodynamic design and shape optimization of tall buildings.

Keywords: CFD, tall buildings, aerodynamic modifications, wind load, flow separation, wake region

[This article belongs to Journal of Offshore Structure and Technology ]

How to cite this article: Tanmay Rajiv Jadhav, Yuwaraj M. Ghugal. Comparative CFD Analysis of Major and Minor Aerodynamic Modifications for Tall Building Shapes under Wind Loading. Journal of Offshore Structure and Technology. 2026; 13(02):9-35.
How to cite this URL: Tanmay Rajiv Jadhav, Yuwaraj M. Ghugal. Comparative CFD Analysis of Major and Minor Aerodynamic Modifications for Tall Building Shapes under Wind Loading. Journal of Offshore Structure and Technology. 2026; 13(02):9-35. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/joost/article=2026/view=257651

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Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 13
Issue 02
Received 26/05/2026
Accepted 11/06/2026
Published 02/07/2026
Publication Time 37 Days

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