Research on wind pressure characteristics of traditional timber buildings: a case study of the main hall of Shisi Temple

Traditional timber buildings are sensitive to wind action. Studying the wind pressure characteristics is the premise for the preventive conservation of traditional timber buildings. To investigate the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation method for wind pressure on traditional timber buildings, a typical traditional timber building, the main hall of Shisi Temple, is chosen as a case to carry out the study. A comparative analysis is conducted to examine the effects of curve simplification of the roof slope, as well as the Dougong (bracket sets) and roof tile components, on the numerical simulation results of wind pressure on the building surface. Additionally, simplification schemes of geometric modeling are provided for the efficient and accurate simulation. The results indicate that moderate simplification of the roof curve has a relatively minor impact on the overall calculation of wind pressure, and the difference between the drag coefficients of the simplified model and the accurate model is no more than 3%. However, excessive simplification can lead to distorted simulation results, and a three-segment curve simplification method is recommended for roof cornices. The influence of Dougong on the wind pressure calculation results is negligible (within 5%), whereas roof tiles significantly reduce the drag coefficient, with an impact of over 30% at various wind directions. The impact of roof tiles on wind pressure distribution in traditional timber buildings lies in their alteration of the building aerodynamic shape rather than an increase in roof thickness. The findings can provide a basis for assessing the wind resistance of traditional timber buildings and helpful insights for improving the efficiency of wind pressure analyses of traditional timber structures.