Modelling and computer simulation of aerodynamic interactions in high-rise lift systems

The aerodynamic effects that occur when a high-speed lift travels through the hoistway involve a range of diverse phenomena that lead to excessive vibrations of the sling-car assembly and noise inside the hoistway and the car. Noise and vibration may then be transmitted to the building structure. Thus, a good understanding and prediction of aerodynamic phenomena occurring in high-speed lift installations is essential to design a system which satisfies ever more demanding ride quality criteria. This paper discusses the fluid-structure interactions taking place in high-rise applications and presents the results of a study to develop a computational model to predict the aerodynamic interactions in high-speed lift systems using Multibody Dynamics (MBD) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques. The model is implemented in a high- performance computer simulation and 3D visualisation platform. It is demonstrated that the model can be deployed as a tool for aerodynamic design and optimization of high-rise lift systems.