FOUNDATION EROSION OF HOUSES DUE TO ACTION OF WIND

The paper presents results of a pilot study into the wind-induced erosion of non-cohesive soil within densely grouped, single storey building structures in South Africa. The study comprised of site visits and assessment of structural damage to houses, analysis of climatic information pertinent to the area, a literature survey and limited wind-tunnel tests. It was established that the erosion of houses was triggered by a combination of soil founding conditions, climatic characteristics (in terms of seasonal prevalence of wind and rain) and also the character of aerodynamic wind flow distribution developing over a grouping of ‘bluff-bodies ’ (i.e. houses) in close proximity of each other. Initial results of the study indicate the feasibility of investigating and identifying the remedial measures to reduce the problem and confirm the relevance of respective wind-tunnel technology.