© 2014, Bert Blocken, Eindhoven University of Technology.

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MODULE QUESTION
What is the main reason for this facade disfigurement by wind-driven rain?
A) Leaching of facade material by wind-driven rain
B) Too high salt concentrations in facade material
C) Incorrect detailing of window sills
D) None of the above
LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR MODULE 7

At the end of this module, you will:

• Understand some important characteristics of rain and wind-driven rain
• Understand the importance of wind-driven rain
• Understand the parameters determining wind-driven rain
• Understand the complexity of wind-driven rain
Rain

“particles of liquid water that are formed within a cloud and fall towards the ground”
International Cloud Atlas (Meteorological Office 1956)

“precipitation composed of liquid water drops with a diameter larger than 0.5 mm”
(precipitation composed of finer drops is referred to as drizzle).
AMS (American Meteorological Society 2004)

Rain intensity

volume of rainfall reaching a certain area during a certain time interval:

Units: L/m²h or mm/h

L/m² = dm³/m² = 10-3 m = mm

Raindrop shape

4000 3675 2900 2650 1725 1350

432 393 354 282 155 131 44 36

Raindrop diameter d Raindrop shape

d < 0.28 mm spherical shape
0.28 mm  d < 1.0 mm slight deformation, oblate spheroids
1.0 mm  d < 2.0 mm base of oblate drops becomes increasingly flattened

0.2  d  6.0 mm increasing development of concave base depression

d > 6.0 mm drops become hydrodynamically unstable and break up

Raindrop terminal speed of fall

1
D D ρ V²
2 2G
Vt 
πd³ Cd ρ A d
G ρg
6
G
Raindrop terminal speed of fall 2G
Vt 
Cd ρ A d

G
Raindrop size distribution (spectrum)
Measurements have led to empirical formulae; e.g. Best (1950):
  d m 
F(d)  1  exp     
 b 
 
q dF
b  M Rh , f(d) 
dd
F(d) is the fraction of liquid water in
the air with raindrops of diameter
smaller than d (mm)
M = 1.30; m = 2.25; q = 0.232
Rh is the rainfall intensity (mm/h).

f(d) is probability density of drop size

Wind-driven rain: result of combination of wind and rain
Wind-driven rain: definition of vector quantities
Rain intensity vector
Vector of which the magnitude is the
rainfall intensity (in mm/h or L/m²h) and the direction is that
from which the rain is coming Rd

Wind-driven rain intensity

Component of the rain-intensity vector causing flux through Rwdr
a vertical plane

Horizontal rain(fall) intensity

Component of the rain-intensity vector causing flux through
a horizontal plane
Rh
Importance of wind-driven rain: building facade pathology

Porous materials:
Structural cracking due to
Rain penetration Frost damage Salt efflorescence T and M gradients
Importance of wind-driven rain: building facade pathology

Porous materials:

Surface soiling
Importance of wind-driven rain: building facade pathology

Surface soiling: Royal Festival Hall, London

Atmospheric wet and dry deposition combined with wind-driven rain and runoff

From: White 1967

Influencing parameters of wind-driven rain

1. Building geometry and environment topography

2. Position on the building facade
3. Reference wind speed
4. Reference wind direction
5. Reference rainfall intensity
6. Raindrop-size distribution
Complexity of wind-driven rain

Complex wind-flow pattern around buildings

Complexity of wind-driven rain

Raindrop shapes and sizes

4000 3675 2900 2650 1725 1350

432 393 354 282 155 131 44 36

Complexity of wind-driven rain

High temporal variability of wind and rain

Wind direction

Wind speed

Hor. Rainfall intensity

MODULE QUESTION
What is the main reason for this facade disfigurement by wind-driven rain?
A) Leaching of facade material by wind-driven rain
B) Too high salt concentrations in facade material
C) Incorrect detailing of window sills
D) None of the above
MODULE QUESTION
What is the main reason for this facade disfigurement by wind-driven rain?
A) Leaching of facade material by wind-driven rain
B) Too high salt concentrations in facade material
C) Incorrect detailing of window sills
D) None of the above
MODULE QUESTION
What is the main reason for this facade disfigurement by wind-driven rain?
A) Leaching of facade material by wind-driven rain
B) Too high salt concentrations in facade material
C) Incorrect detailing of window sills
D) None of the above

drip
MODULE QUESTION
What is the main reason for this facade disfigurement by wind-driven rain?
A) Leaching of facade material by wind-driven rain
B) Too high salt concentrations in facade material
C) Incorrect detailing of window sills
D) None of the above
MODULE QUESTION
White washing by high
Dirty washing by sill water WDR intensity

White washing by sill water

In this module, we have learned about:

• Some important characteristics of rain and wind-driven rain

• The importance of wind-driven rain
• The parameters determining wind-driven rain
• The complexity of wind-driven rain
In the next module, we will focus on:

• How assessment of wind-driven rain is performed

• The wetting patterns on building facades