Aeroacoustic Issues of Building Elements

Abstract

During high wind events, certain building elements have the potential to generate significant tonal noise that can be heard miles away.  These aeroacoustic issues are due to an interaction/coupling between an unstable fluid flow and a feedback mechanism. Aeroacoustic issues are often easy to avoid when susceptible geometry can be identified during the early design process, but mitigation can be technically difficult and very costly once issues do occur. Because aeroacoustic issues are unique and often annoying, they are often considered newsworthy and can be the subject of significant publicity.