NIST Aerodynamic Database

To facilitate research, practice, and education in the area of wind-resistant structural design, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has assembled this public repository of aerodynamic data from boundary layer wind tunnel tests on scale building models. The initial posting of this database contains 95 data sets contributed by The Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory at The University of Western Ontario (UWO) for gable-roofed building models with various dimensions and terrain conditions. Data sets obtained at various laboratories are expected to be added to the NIST database in the future.

University of Western Ontario Data Sets

Related NIST Resources

The assembly and dissemination of this database represents an important step in facilitating Database-Assisted Design of buildings for wind. Database-Assisted Design makes direct use of pressure coefficients measured in the wind tunnel, rather than using simplified "pseudo pressure coefficients," as in existing standards such as ASCE 7. Further information and software tools related to Database-Assisted Design can be found at the following links:

• Building Science Series 180 (2.2 MB) - Joseph A. Main and William P. Fritz (2006) - NIST Report on Database-Assisted Design: Database-Assisted Design for Wind: Concepts, Software, and Examples for Rigid and Flexible Buildings, NIST Building Science Series 180, March 2006.
• windPRESSURE - Database-Assisted Design Software for Rigid, Low-Rise Buildings
• HR-DAD - Database-Assisted Design Software for Flexible, High-Rise Buildings

Additional data sets, software, and publications related to Extreme Winds and Wind Effects on Structures can also be found at www.nist.gov/wind.
 

Acknowledgements

Eric Ho, Dave Surry, Dave Morrish, Mark Nywening, and Greg Kopp of the University of Western Ontario are gratefully acknowledged for contributing the aerodynamic data sets presented on this website and for the associated efforts in wind tunnel testing and in the development of the self-documenting format of the data files. The assembly of this aerodynamic database was initiated by Emil Simiu of EL, and was supported through a cooperative agreement between NIST and Texas Tech University. Partial financial support for the development of this website was provided by the Metal Buildings Manufacturers Association (W. Lee Shoemaker, Director, Research Engineering). Expert advice was provided from the inception of the Database-Assisted Design project by Gilliam Harris, P.E., S.E. This website was developed by Joe Main of EL.