Authors: Fernando Marques da Silva, Paulo Morais, Iara Pereira, Rogério Bairrão, João Morais

Shading devices of large span are sometimes adopted in modern architecture as shading solutions mounted on the exterior of façades, with shapes and assembling configurations whose wind response lacks a proper characterization. Cascade shadings, consisting in a vertical series of parallel blades, are one of such examples, posing particular challenges in terms of wind loads evaluation that influence the design of these devices and their respective support structures. In this work, wind tunnel tests were conducted on a “sectional” model of a prototype of a cascade shading device, to evaluate the aerodynamic performance of the blades. The specific characteristics of this test required the use of a particular system to measure the aerodynamic forces. The loads induced by the flow on the blade were measured for several angles of attack by varying the model's orientation relative to the incoming flow. These results allowed an estimate of the maximum load on the blades due to wind exposure.

Fernando Marques da Silva¹ | Paulo Morais² | Iara Pereira¹ | Rogério Bairrão¹ | João Morais²
1Departamento de Estruturas, LNEC- Portugal.
2Centro de Instrumentação Científica, LNEC- Portugal.