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A modified Eulerian method for snowdrifts was proposed by introducing the snow particle capture efficiency. The relationships between the modified method and the previous methods were discussed, the results showed that the previous methods are special cases of the modified method. Based on the modified method, the impacts of the location and the height of the interfering building on the snow distribution on the target building were studied. The location of the interfering building seriously affects the snow distribution on the roof of the target building. Four typical interference modes were found through simulations. Significant interference effects on snow load occur when the interfering building is higher than the target building, and it becomes more powerful with the increase of the height of the interfering building. • A modified erosion and deposition model is proposed, introducing the capture efficiency of the falling snow phase. • The Impacts of the location of the interfering building on the snow distribution on the target building are investigated. • The Impacts of the height of the interfering building on the snow distribution on the target building are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the interference effects of building groups with flat roofs on snow load, a modified Eulerian-Eulerian model was proposed and verified by three typical cases. Based on the verified model, the impact of wind velocity on snow distribution on an isolated building with a flat roof was discussed first, and then a series of CFD simulations were carried out to investigate the snow distribution on building groups with the regular and staggered arrangement. The results showed that the amount of snow on the isolated building decreases significantly with the increase of wind velocity. The critical building density of the building group with the regular and staggered arrangement is about 0.25, above which the interference effects of the building groups on snow load are not significant. The interference effects of the building groups with the staggered arrangement on snow load are weaker than that of the building group with the regular arrangement. • A modified Eulerian model of snowdrift is proposed and verified. • The snow distribution on the isolated building is sensitive to wind velocity. • The interference effects on snow load are significant when building density is high. • The interference effects on snow load are seriously affected by building arrangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducted experiments on the wind-induced snow drifting around two adjacent cube models, using artificial snow in an open air snow-wind combined experimental facility constructed at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). In particular, 20 experiments were conducted on two adjacent cubes with three different wind directions, three different wind speeds, and four different spacings. They were compared with contrast experiments with a single cube under the same inflow condition. The cube models were two wooden cubes having dimensions of 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.5 m. The drift process of natural snowfall was simulated by scattering snow particles. After snowfall for 25 min in each experiment, the snowdrifts were measured by surveying approximately 300 points around the cubes. Contour maps of the normalized snow depths were drawn and analyzed. The experiments show that the wind direction and speed have a certain influence on a snowdrift. Based on the wind-snow movement mechanism, the relationship between the snowdrift pattern around two cubes and the snowdrift pattern around a single cube was explored. Under the same condition, the snowdrift pattern around the multiple cubes can be deduced from the snowdrift pattern around the single cube. The snowdrift pattern around the downstream cube depends on its spatial position relative to the upstream cube. Moreover, the snowdrift between two adjacent cubes seems to be dependent on a funneling effect. • The process of wind-induced snow drifting was simulated by scattering artificial snow particles in an open air snow-wind combined experimental facility. • The influence of wind direction and wind speed on the snowdrift pattern around the cubes was studied. • Based on wind-snow movement mechanism, the relationship between snowdrift pattern around two cubes and snowdrift pattern around single cube was explored. Under the same conditions, the snowdrift pattern around the multiple cubes can be deduced from the snowdrift pattern around the single cube. • The effect of funneling has a profound effect on the snowdrift pattern between two adjacent cubes. • The snowdrift pattern around the downstream cube depends on its spatial position relative to the upstream cube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]