U.S. patent number 3,866,363 [Application Number 05/372,345] was granted by the patent office on 1975-02-18 for high energy wind dissipation adjacent buildings.
Invention is credited to James R. King.
United States Patent |
3,866,363 |
King |
February 18, 1975 |
HIGH ENERGY WIND DISSIPATION ADJACENT BUILDINGS
Abstract
An arrangement is provided for dissipating high energy winds
along the sides and at the base of skyscrapers. The winds caused by
increased dynamic pressure at the top of the building move
downwardly along the face of the building and are reversed in
direction by an arcuate shaped deflector extending horizontally
along the side of the building. The deflector is pivotally attached
at the wind receiving edge adjacent the building and the outer or
discharge edge may be supported by a shock absorber to accommodate
wind gusts. The discharge edge of the curved deflector plate
releases the air at substantially 45.degree. and a stilling area of
energy dissipation or turbulence is formed in the space outside the
perimeter of the building. An elongated, self-sustaining vortex is
formed above the deflector; the vortex seeking a path of egress by
spiralling action at the ends of the deflector and passing around
the sides of the building into stilling areas. Preferably, the
deflector is positioned just above ground floor level and the high
velocity laminar flow at the outer perimeter of the vortex serves
to entrain air along the side of the first story to further produce
a favorable area of calm around the building. Pivotal hatch means
is provided at selected locations along the deflector plate to
provide ventilation on relatively calm days at the ground floor
level and extensible deflector-spoiler panel means may be provided
at the discharge edge to tighten the vortex, increase turbulence in
the outer stilling area and decrease entrainment along the first
story face.
Inventors: |
King; James R. (Annandale,
VA) |
Family
ID: |
26832503 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/372,345 |
Filed: |
June 21, 1973 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
134621 |
Apr 16, 1971 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/29; D25/5;
D25/21; 52/73; 52/84; 52/173.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H
9/14 (20130101); Y02A 50/00 (20180101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04H
9/14 (20060101); E04b 001/34 () |
Field of
Search: |
;52/24,173,73,84,11,73,74,97,29 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Armco publication "Porcelain Enamel Curtain Walls for Hospitals"
received 6-15-1959. .
Drive-In Restaurant, June 1966, p. 76. .
Architectural Forum, April 1968, pp. 60-63..
|
Primary Examiner: Murtagh; John E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Lowe, King and Price
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 134,621, filed Apr.
16, 1971, now abandoned.
Claims
1. In combination with a multi-story building having an outside
entrance level and entrance opening and sufficient height and width
above said entrance level to turn horizontally arriving natural
winds into high energy downdraft along the face of the building,
elongated wind deflector means extending substantially horizontally
along at least one side of said building, said deflector means
extending outwardly away from said face above said entrance level a
distance sufficient to intercept and confine in substantially
controlled single path flow the high energy downdraft winds, said
deflector means extending at least substantially the full length of
the side and extending substantially beyond the entrance opening
along the side, said deflector means substantially integrally
extending from said building, the downstream and lateral edges
being disposed so as to finally direct the controlled flow to a
height at least above the deflector means, whereby to deflect said
controlled flow away from said entrance level to allow dissipation
of said energy by vortex and eddy current effect and release of the
air substantially free of said entrance level, said deflector means
comprising a means curved so as to be substantially arcuate in
cross section to generate vortex flow, the receiving edge of said
curved means extending so as to merge smoothy with the face of said
building and the downstream edge extending upwardly away from the
entrance level at an angle greater than approximately thirty
2. In the combination of claim 1 wherein said distance of extent of
said deflector means outwardly from the building is at least
greater than
3. In the combination of claim 1 wherein the deflector means
includes multiple deflectors to extend substantially around the
full perimeter of the building, the lateral edges of the adjacent
deflectors along the sides merging together at the corners of the
building, whereby controlled flow
4. In the combination of claim 1 wherein the downstream edge of
said curved means extends upwardly at a substantially forty-five
degree angle to
5. In the combination of claim 1 wherein said curved means
comprises a plate and wherein is further provided means for
supporting said plate, and shock absorber means interconnected with
said support means to absorb
6. In the combination of claim 1 wherein said deflector means
comprises a plurality of deflectors vertically spaced along the
face of the building
7. In the combination of claim 1 wherein said deflector means is
mounted
8. In the combination of claim 5 wherein the inner edge of said
support means adjacent said building is pivotally mounted and said
shock absorber
9. In the combination of claim 5 wherein said shock absorber means
comprises a fluid cylinder mounted in a support column of said
building.
10. In the combination of claim 1 wherein is further provided an
opening in said deflector means, a hatch for covering said opening,
and means for lifting said hatch to cause the airflow to be
deflected through the opening and downwardly within the space at
the entrance level to provide
11. In the combination of claim 1 wherein is further provided an
extensible deflector-spoiler means adjacent the discharge edge of
said deflector means to produce a tightened vortex and increased
eddy current effect.
12. In the combination of claim 11 wherein said deflector-spoiler
means comprises a substantially vertical panel having a plurality
of apertures
13. The method of controlling wind at the entrance level of a
multi-story building having an outside entrance level and entrance
opening and sufficient height and width above said entrance level
to turn horizontally arriving natural winds into high energy
downdraft along at least one face and of at least one side of the
building, the steps of receiving said natural winds along said face
and allowing the same to turn and flow downwardly and deflecting
said downdraft over a distance outward from the building sufficient
to intercept and confine the high energy downdraft in a
substantially controlled single path flow, the deflecting step
forming said controlled flow occurring along at least substantially
the full length of said one side of said building and extending
substantially beyond the entrance opening along the side, the
deflecting step being substantially complete at the side of the
building and at said distance and along the lateral edges so as to
finally direct substantially the full controlled flow to a height
at least above said entrance level, whereby said controlled flow is
directed away from said entrance level to allow dissipation of the
energy by vortex and eddy current effect and release of
14. The method of claim 13 wherein is further provided the step of
discharging the airflow deflected in an upward direction away from
the
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the deflecting step is performed
gradually in a substantially arcuate path from the receiving edge
along the face of the building to the discharge edge spaced from
the building.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said discharging of the airflow
occurs at an angle of greater than approximately thirty degrees
with respect to a
17. The method of claim 13 wherein said deflecting and discharging
occurs around the full perimeter of said building.
Description
The present invention relates to buildings and, more particularly,
to interception and dissipation of high energy winds along the
windward side of multi-story buildings to prevent disrupting winds
blowing around the base.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As the density of occupation of our cities and suburbs increases,
and with improved structural methods and systems for building
multi-story buildings, taller and wider skyscrapers than ever
before are being erected. These larger buildings or skyscrapers
have the advantage of providing space for a large number of people,
and at the same time, conserving the precious land on which they
are built. This allows the buildings to be surrounded by open
plazas and much lower structures, thus providing the occupants of
the buildings with desirable open space to enjoy the
out-of-doors.
However, as these buildings with surrounding open spaces have begun
to be erected, it has been found that they all, particularly those
situated in windy areas, suffer from a phenomenom, known in the art
as the "Monroe effect". The phenomenom occurs because winds blow
with greater energy at the elevated height adjacent the top of the
building than at the bottom (as every young kite flier knows). The
lower energy or velocity level adjacent the ground is, of course,
caused by the resistance encountered by the wind and the resultant
dissipation of its energy as it is passing around and over objects
and the ground itself. The high energy winds thus hit the top of
the building and create pressures containing an increased dynamic
pressure factor and these pressures then tend to travel down the
face of the building in the form of downdrafts seeking the lower
pressure level at the base. Hitting the bottom, or the ground,
these downdrafts create extremely high velocity winds blowing
around and away from the building.
The taller and wider the isolated skyscraper is, the more high
energy winds are caught and consequently the stronger the winds
become at the bottom of the structure. For example, at the bottom
of a fifty story structure, such as the Prudential Center in
Boston, Massachusetts, the wind speeds are often twice the normal
ground-level winds due to the Monroe effect. The high and often
gusting winds makes approaching the buildings at entrance or ground
level annoying, if not outright dangerous. Pedestrians are
particularly susceptible from such annoying inconveniences as
having hats and papers blow away, hairdos mussed, skirts lifted and
being generally tossed about on even the calmest of days. But when
the prevailing winds are high, bedlam results with people being
thrown to the ground or into the path of vehicular traffic
resulting in substantial bodily injury in many cases. In addition,
business and pleasure around the buildings is generally disrupted
by the high energy winds causing excessive blowing of fountains and
prohibiting the use of the open air arcades, where people working
in the buildings could otherwise shop, relax and enjoy the
out-of-doors.
On top of this, when a major storm hits, the effect is disastrous
and evacuation of the area is required. The drafts or gales coming
off the buildings have been known to knock over trailer trucks,
push small automobiles sideways in traffic and literally to tear
off the doors of cars or buildings that happen to be opened at the
moment a gust arrives.
To date, architects and engineers have not been able to
successfully solve the Monroe effect problem. Most efforts have
been directed to construction of the buildings with nonrectangular,
and thus reduced floor space so as to allow easier flow of the air
around the sides of buildings, such as by making the buildings
round, or with a narrow, face pointed in the direction of the
prevailing winds. Other efforts have been directed to simply
arranging surrounding smaller structures, trees and fences so as to
dissipate the energy and thus minimize the undesirable wind
effects. However, it is clear that these solutions are either
severe compromises in the shape of the building or merely stop-gap
measures with low efficiency potential. The prior art attempts do
not attack head-on the problem of dissipation of the energy and
controlled release of the air so as to allow full use of large
buildings with surrounding open areas.
Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide a
method and apparatus for overcoming the problem by dissipation and
controlled release of the high energy airflow along the face and at
the base of a skyscraper structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an
arrangement for dissipating high energy winds resulting from the
Monroe effect in open areas around the base of large multi-story
buildings.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a
method and apparatus for reversing the high energy airflow along
the face of the building and directing the same outwardly away from
the building for dissipation and providing an area of relative calm
at the ground level on even the windest of days.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide wind
dissipation for multi-story buildings wherein the high energy
downdraft moving along the face of the building is deflected
outwardly and upwardly, the energy dissipated by eddy current and
vortex effects, and the air released to stilling areas above the
entrance level and along the sides to the building.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Briefly, in accordance with the present invention the high energy
or high velocity airflow along the face of a building in the
downward direction caused by the Monroe effect is intercepted by an
elongated wind deflector means extending substantially horizontally
along the side of the building and above the ground or entrance
level. The deflector at the inner edge merges smoothly with the
face of the building and comprises a substantially arcuate plate
that causes a smooth reversal of the airflow. The discharge or
outer edge of the plate preferably extends upwardly at a 45.degree.
angle to direct the high velocity airflow outwardly and upwardly to
best clear the entrance level. After leaving the deflector, the
airflow intercepts or blocks downcoming winds spaced further out
from the building to keep these from reaching the ground level. The
airflow also encounters the incoming natural winds at the lower
levels. The mixing of these varied and opposed wind forces causes
eddy currents which rapidly dissipate the high energy and stills
the air along the full windward side(s) of the building.
The energy is also dissipated by the self-sustaining vortex action
formed above the deflector. The air in a lowered energy state from
the vortex forms spiral escape routes around the sides of the
building that form further stilling areas. Because of the large
vortex action occurring adjacent the side of the building and in
the area above the deflector, the highest velocity wind approaching
the building at the very top is forced upwardly and over the top by
the increased pressure of the outer vortex area, further adding to
the efficiency of the action. Boundary layer air of the laminar
flow leaving the outer edge of the deflector causes entrainment of
the natural wind along the face of the entrance level or first
story and directs it upwardly toward the top of the building. This
upflow further induces an area of calm around the building through
counteracting the forces of natural winds arriving at the first
floor level.
If desired and the additional expense can be justified, deflectors
may be placed in accordance with the invention at other levels
along the face of the building, and in any selected number. Such
multiple deflectors may be dictated by conditions at any particular
location, such as limitations as to size of the deflector means,
the intensity of the prevailing winds and aesthetic or architectual
values.
Preferably, the deflector means is formed of an arcuate plate
extending horizontally along the length of the side(s) of the
building and sufficiently wide to collect the high energy downdraft
layer of air. The size of the deflector or deflectors is
proportional to the energy level of the wind and the surface area
of the side of the building from which wind is collected. The
arcuate plate is mounted on a structural base of cross members
which is, in turn, pivotally mounted at the inner or receiving edge
of the deflector. At the outer or discharge edge, a shock absorber
in the form of a fluid cylinder is utilized for support in order to
absorb the energy of wind gusts. The shock absorber may be housed
in a vertical supporting column. The deflector means is preferably
positioned just above the entrance level around the full periphery,
although the deflector may be incorporated at other levels, as
mentioned, and only on the prevailing wind side at some locations,
if desired.
A pivotal hatch may be provided at selected locations along the
deflectors to provide a diversion of a portion of the airflow to
ventilate the entrance level, especially on hot sultry days when
the wind is at a low energy level. Also, an extensible spoiler
plate may be provided at the discharge edge of the deflectors to
tighten the vortex and increase the eddy currents or turbulence in
the energy dissipation or stilling areas.
The deflectors are preferably built into the roof of the entrance
level, which level, of course, may be utilized as ground floor
office space or as a commercial shopping area. Alternatively, the
deflectors may be free standing and may project over the sidewalk
and/or the street.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will
become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the
following detailed description, wherein I have shown and described
only the preferred embodiment of the invention, simply by way of
illustration of the best mode contemplated by me of carrying out my
invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other
and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of
modification in various obvious respects, all without departing
from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are
to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as
restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a building having a wind
deflector means constructed in accordance with the principles of
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional, diagrammatic showing of the airflow
pattern along one face of the building and the resulting vortex
stilling area above the deflector and the outer eddy current
stilling area;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along one side of the
building of FIG. 1 showing the preferred embodiment of the
deflector with possible attachments; and
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagrammatic showing like that of FIG.
2 except with a vertically-spaced, multideflector system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, there is shown a
building B typical of the type to which the principles of the
apparatus and method of the present invention may be applied. The
building B is typically a high-rise, multi-story building or
skyscraper, such as Boston's Prudential Center, Chicago's John
Hancock Center or San Francisco's Bank of America building. The
skyscraper is typically 50 to 100 stories high and covering a
normal city block or more at its base with surrounding open space
or low structures covering several additional blocks. A building of
this size is particularly susceptible to the Monroe effect, since
the side faces(s) in the direction of the prevailing winds has
sufficient surface area to collect and prevent the air from passing
freely around the building and thus causing a downdraft movement of
air with high dynamic pressure and velocity moving toward the base
of the building. To put it another way, the differential velocity
between the winds at the top and at the bottom causes a dynamic
pressure differential to exist vertically along planar face F of
the building B, and the net result is the high velocity wind coming
off the face F at the bottom and blowing outwardly, away and around
the building. It should be noted that while the buildings mentioned
are typical of those experiencing the problem for which my
inventive concept is particularly adapted to alleviate, the only
requirement of the building is that it be sufficiently high and
sufficiently wide for a given energy level of the natural winds, to
create the Monroe effect pressure differential and thus the
objectionable high velocity winds at the base.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the
building B is provided with a peripheral wind deflector assembly,
generally designated by the reference numeral 10 and including a
plurality of individual, arcuate shaped deflectors 11, 12, 13, 14
corresponding to the four sides of the building B. Preferably, the
number of deflectors 11-14 corresponds to the number of sides to
the building B, although it is to be understood that in certain
cases where the prevailing winds are regular, for example, only
those sides of the building receiving the winds need have a
deflector installed. Furthermore, the deflector assembly 10 is
horizontal, preferably positioned just above the first story height
of the building so that it is effective to receive substantially
all of the high velocity downdraft winds. As shown in FIG. 1, the
deflectors 11-14 may be positioned on the roof of first story 15,
or in the alternative, may extend out over open space, such as over
sidewalk 16. Depending upon the width along the length of the
deflector needed to properly accommodate the winds of the building,
the deflectors 11-14 could, of course, be further extended over the
adjacent street or court yard. Generally, the length and width of
the elongated deflectors 11-14 are determined in each instance on a
custom basis depending upon the size of the building and the energy
level of the winds. It is estimated that deflectors should be
approximately 10 - 90 feet in width and should extend along the
full length of the face F to properly intercept the downdraft.
As shown in FIG. 1, the building B with the deflector assembly 10
of the present invention thus has a first story level that may be
utilized as an exposed entrance E to the building. To explain, the
horizontally arriving natural winds, designated by the flow arrows
a.sub.1, are received by face F of the building and are turned to
flow downwardly due to the dynamic pressure differential, as
indicated by the turn flow arrows a.sub.2. As the air flows down
along the substantially planar face F, the pressure of the layer of
air contiguous with the building is further increased by the
pushing force of each successive vertical increment of wind so that
upon arriving at the bottom the dynamic pressure, and thus the
energy and velocity level of the flow is substantial. This high
energy airflow is intercepted by the deflector assembly 10 and
turned through a substantial reversal of direction, as noted by the
flow arrows a.sub.3. The air flow is directed outwardly and
upwardly (see flow arrows a.sub.4), and a self-sustaining vortex
action is thus generated as the airflow is next turned inwardly
(flow arrows a.sub.5) by the lower naturally arriving winds
a.sub.1. The higher the prevailing winds a.sub.1 , the tighter the
vortex is maintained adjacent the building and above the
deflectors. The winds a.sub.1, are thus to a degree self-sustaining
of the vortex action although all along the energy of the wind is
being dissipated by the vortex action.
The deflectors 11-14 are substantially identical so that only one,
deflector 11, needs to be discussed in detail. Thus, the deflector
11 merges gradually with the face F at the receiving edge,
designated by the reference numeral 20, and gradually changes the
course of direction of the wind until discharge edge 21 is reached.
Preferably, angle .theta. at the point of discharge is
approximately 45.degree. so that the wind is directed not only
outwardly away from the entrance level or first story 15 of the
building, but also upwardly away therefrom, to further insure an
area of calm around the building. The above action may be viewed in
FIG. 2.
The above ground vortex action of the airflow (flow arrows a.sub.2
a.sub.3, a.sub.4, a.sub.5) serves in a very advantageous manner to
dissipate the wind energy that would otherwise be released to
disrupt the area around the base of the building. Because of the
substantial size of the vortex, the energy dissipated is large and
due to the fact that it is maintained above the street level (see
FIG. 2), an area of calm is experienced around the building at the
entrance level, even on the windiest of days. The vortex action
splits in the middle of deflector 11 and tends to turn or slip
around the corners of the building assisted by winds a.sub.1
arriving at that level. Two stilling areas S.sub.1, S.sub.2 of
continuing vortex spirals are thus formed along the sides (FIG. 1)
for further energy dissipation. In the embodiment shown, these
spirals are maintained above the entrance level by the deflectors
12, 14, respectively, and are constantly bringing the energy level
of the airflow down to lower levels. The spiral stilling areas
S.sub.1, S.sub.2 over the deflectors 12, 14 are deflected upwardly
and away for a final dissipation of the energy spaced from the
building perimeter.
It should be noted that the diverging vortex spirals are, in
addition to being directed in their travel along the sides of the
building by the prevailing winds a.sub.1, split in the first
instance by the natural buildup of pressure at the midpoint of the
elongated vortex (along the length of the deflector 11) and
encouraged to seek these lower pressure areas along the sides. In
other words, as the vortex a.sub.2 - a.sub.5 is sustained along the
face F of the building, the pressure of the air is greater at the
mid-point than along the sides where no blocking of the winds is
taking place, so that the vortex naturally splits and moves
outwardly in opposite directions and around the corners (note FIG.
1).
The sustained vortex a.sub.2- a.sub.5 also tends to directly
counteract the higher dynamic pressures at the top caused by the
prevailing winds a.sub.1. This counteraction forces the highest
velocity and highest energy winds a.sub. o over the top of the
building. In other words, the setting up of the vortex action
actually alleviates, to some degree, the pressure differential
between the top of the building and the first story or entrance
level so that in effect less energy needs to be dissipated than
would otherwise be required. Furthermore, downcomer wind spaced
further outwardly from the face F and even outwardly from discharge
edge of the deflector 11 is intercepted or blocked from reaching
the ground level by the upturning airflow a.sub.3, a.sub.4,
a.sub.5.
Another and extremely important area of dissipation of energy takes
place in still another manner outside the perimeter of the
building, and is generally designated in FIG. 2, as a third
stilling area S.sub.3 which operates on the principle of eddy
current effect. To explain, as the high velocity airflow a.sub.3 is
released from the deflector 11 at discharge edge 21, the boundary
layer of the airflow is no longer protected and is immediately and
rapidly slowed down by the resistance of the adjacent ambient air
and the incoming wind a.sub.1. The interaction of the wind forces
causes a turbulence or eddy current effect capable of dissipating
large amounts of energy. Thus, the lower prevailing winds a.sub.1
arriving at the building not only serve to self-sustain and tighten
the vortex a.sub.2 - a.sub.5, but also serve to imping on the outer
boundary layer of the flow a.sub.3, a.sub.4 and generate therefrom
energy dissipating eddy currents. Of course, as is well known, as
the eddy currents and turbulence is formed, the disruption tends to
feed on itself so that still further turbulence is caused and
additional energy is dissipated.
Before the stilling area S.sub.3 is entered by the laminar airflow
a.sub.3 leaving the discharge edge 21, another advantageous
phenomenom occurs with the invention. That is, the low pressure air
in the boundary layer of the laminar flow a.sub.3 serves to entrain
the natural winds a.sub.1 arriving at the entrance level itself and
this entrainment thus causes the winds in this region to be turned
upwardly in a counteracting effect, as noted by the flow arrows
a.sub.1 (FIG. 2). In many cases, the winds at ground level,
although they are much less than the winds at higher elevations,
can be substantial and this additional effect of entraining the air
by the high velocity flow a.sub.3 further insures an area of
maximum calm around the building. The building with the present
invention can thus be provided with open court yards, sidewalks and
streets on all sides that may be enjoyed by the tenants of the
building and others without being tossed about by the high winds
and gales, previously associated with the Monroe effect.
The preferred embodiment of each of the deflectors 11-14 is formed,
as shown in FIG. 3, of an arcuate plate 30 mounted on a framework
of transverse support members 31. The ends of the elongated plates
30 are matched at their ends, that is, at the corners of the
building B, along a 45.degree. miter, as shown in FIG. 1. It should
be understood that the plates 30 can be separate, in which instance
there would be a small space at the miter joint, or the plates
could be resiliently connected, if desired. It is contemplated that
the plate 30, as well as the support members 31, are fabricated of
weather-resistant or protected steel to give the requisite strength
to the assembly.
In order to absorb the shock of the high velocity winds, and
especially to accommodate gusts that create sudden increases in the
downward force, the support members 31 are mounted along the
receiving edge of the plate 30 by pivot 32 suitably attached to the
framework of the building B. As pointed out above, the receiving
edge 20 merges smoothy with the face F of the building so as to
provide a gradual turning of the airflow.
Each of the transverse support members 31 are supported at their
outer edge by a suitable shock absorber, preferably in the form of
a fluid cylinder 35 having a piston 36 normally biased in an upward
direction by a compression spring 37. The fluid cylinder shock
absorber may be made in any well known manner, such as by including
a restricted flow orifice in the piston 36. Thus, the downward
movement of the deflector 11 and the rebound is restricted to a
relatively slow rate. Advantageously, the cylinders 35 are hidden
from view in columns 40 that support the overhang 41 that may be
employed above the entrance level.
Attachments to the deflectors 11-14 to provide for additional
functional operation and additional efficiency, are also shown in
FIG. 3. The first attachment comprises a hatch 45 that when opened
to the dotted line position scoops the high velocity airflow and
directs the same downwardly through the exposed opening in the
plate 30, and thence through passageway 46 in the overhang 41. This
allows controlled cooling quantities of air to be distributed over
the entrance E during the sultry summer days when the wind is at a
relatively low level. The breeze caused by the controlled diversion
of air through the hatches 45, that may be provided in any selected
number and location, greatly adds to the comfort of the pedestrians
in the vicinity of the building. As shown, the hatch 45 may be
operated in any simple manner, such as by a double acting, fluid
cylinder C and operating linkage 47.
The second attachment for the deflector assembly 10 includes
elongated vertical panel 50 that is mounted in a substantially
vertical position adjacent the discharge edge of the deflector
plate 30 and is extensible from a hidden lowered position to an
operative raised position (see dotted line outline in FIG. 3). The
panel 50 may include a plurality of apertures 51 formed therein to
prevent excessive pressure being placed thereon and to induce a
plurality of jets of air along the edge thereby generating greater
turbulence and eddy current effect in the stilling area S.sub.3
(see FIG. 2). Additionally, the panel 50, that may extend along any
desired length of the discharge edge 21, serves to deflect the
laminar airflow a.sub.3 so that the downstream airflow a.sub.4 in
the vortex is deflected inwardly toward the center, thus tightening
the vortex. It is contemplated that the spoilerdeflector panel 50
would be extended to the operative position on days when additional
energy dissipation is needed and/or when a tighter vortex is
required by the prevailing wind conditions. Furthermore, the panel
50, since it interrupts the laminar flow along the discharge edge
21, reduces the amount of upturn given to the natural winds a.sub.1
arriving at the entrance level so that said panel could be used
when a reduction in the turning of this wind is desired.
There are, of course, many modifications of the broad concept or
preferred embodiment of the present invention. One such
modification that might be found desirable is to utilize a
plurality of smaller deflectors 60, 61 spaced vertically along the
face f of the building B. These deflectors 60, 61 could be mounted
for pivotal retracting movement into recesses in the face f (see
dotted line position in FIG. 4) by a suitable actuating cylinder
62, and linkage and pivot member combination 63. Furthermore, the
fluid cylinder 62 could be a double-acting pneumatic type, which
when in the position to project the deflector 60 into the operative
position allows shock absorbing compression above and below the
piston to accommodate wind gusts. On any particular day, one or
more levels of the deflectors 60 could be extended depending upon
the energy level of the prevailing winds a.sub.1 arriving at the
face f of the building. The vortex stilling areas S.sub.1, S.sub.2
and the eddy current stilling areas S.sub.3 (see FIG. 4) would
occur for each of the individual deflectors and form separate
energy dissipation means in this instance.
In view of the foregoing explanation, it is believed that the
advantageous results of the present invention will be readily
realized. The high pressure, high velocity winds blowing downwardly
along the face F of a multi-story building B will be reversed in
direction and prevented from reaching ground level. The energy of
the winds is dissipated through vortex action, including spiral
vortex action, in stilling areas S.sub.1, S.sub.2, as well as by
eddy current effect in stilling area S.sub.3. The horizontally
disposed deflectors are preferably fabricated of an arcuateshaped
steel plate with transverse support members 31 resiliently
supported to accommodate wind gusts. Attachments, such as the hatch
45 for deflecting cooling air and deflector-spoiler panel 50 for
tightening the vortex and increasing turbulence in the stilling
area S.sub.3, further add to the efficiency of the arrangement.
Smaller, vertically spaced deflectors 60, 61 may be employed along
the face f of the building, if desired.
In this disclosure, there is shown and described only the preferred
embodiment of the invention, but as aforementioned, it is to be
understood that the invention is capable of use in various other
combinations and environment and is capable of changes or
modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as
expressed herein.
* * * * *