Micro-butterfly windbreak nets are widely used in engineering applications, yet their wind load characteristics remain insufficiently understood. To determine these loads, in this study, high-frequency force balance wind tunnel tests were conducted on micro-butterfly nets with standard 35% and 45% porosity configurations. The results demonstrate that porosity is the key parameter governing the aerodynamic characteristics of micro-butterfly windbreak nets, while inflow wind speed has a negligible influence on drag coefficients. Windward area serves as the dominant factor determining the magnitude of drag coefficients, although it is not the sole determinant of lift coefficient peaks. The recommended drag coefficient values are 0.94 and 0.85 for 35% and 45% porosity nets, respectively. The reduced heights of wind loads fall within the 0.45∼0.6 range with 77% probability for both porosity configurations. Wind load estimations for supporting structures must account for the skewed wind load factor Kθ, for which this study provides validated reference values and fitting formulas. These experimental results establish essential references for the wind-resistant design of micro-butterfly windbreak net support systems.
Article navigation
27 May 2026
Research Article|
April 21 2026
Wind tunnel tests on wind loads acting on micro-butterfly windbreak nets Available to Purchase
Xiaobing Chai;
Xiaobing Chai
School of Civil Engineering,
Shijiazhuang Tiedao University
, Shijiazhuang, PR China
Search for other works by this author on:
Yifei Sun;
Yifei Sun
School of Civil Engineering,
Shijiazhuang Tiedao University
, Shijiazhuang, PR China
Search for other works by this author on:
Qingkuan Liu;
School of Civil Engineering,
Shijiazhuang Tiedao University
, Shijiazhuang, PR China
; State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and System Safety of Traffic Engineering Structures, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang, PR China; Innovation Center for Wind Engineering and Wind Energy Technology of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, PR China; Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Roads and Railway Engineering Safety Control, Shijiazhuang, PR ChinaCorresponding author Qingkuan Liu (lqingkuan@163.com)
Search for other works by this author on:
Yinuo Liu;
Yinuo Liu
School of Civil Engineering,
Shijiazhuang Tiedao University
, Shijiazhuang, PR China
Search for other works by this author on:
Heng Cao
Heng Cao
School of Civil Engineering,
Shijiazhuang Tiedao University
, Shijiazhuang, PR China
Search for other works by this author on:
Corresponding author Qingkuan Liu (lqingkuan@163.com)
Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Received:
December 17 2025
Accepted:
February 19 2026
Online ISSN: 1751-7702
Print ISSN: 0965-0911
Funding
Funding Group:
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Award Id(s): U25A20354
- Funder(s):
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): Innovation research group project of Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province of China
- Award Id(s): E2022210078
- Funder(s):
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): Yanzhao Golden Platform Talent Gathering Programme of Hebei Province
- Award Id(s): (2019) 63
- Funder(s):
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): Youth Programme of National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Award Id(s): 52408551
- Funder(s):
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): Youth Programme of Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province of China
- Award Id(s): E2024210071
- Funder(s):
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): Hebei Provincial Department of Education Postgraduate Innovation Ability Training Funding Programme
- Award Id(s): CXZZBS2025164
- Funder(s):
- Funding Statement(s): This work was supported by the Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. U25A20354), the Innovation research group project of Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province of China (grant no. E2022210078), the Outstanding Talents of the Yanzhao Golden Platform Talent Gathering Programme of Hebei Province (grant no. (2019) 63), the Youth Programme of National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 52408551), the Youth Programme of Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province of China (grant no. E2024210071) and the Hebei Provincial Department of Education Postgraduate Innovation Ability Training Funding Programme (grant no. CXZZBS2025164).
© 2026 Emerald Publishing Limited
2026
Emerald Publishing Limited
Licensed re-use rights only
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Structures and Buildings (2026) 179 (5): 595–606.
Article history
Received:
December 17 2025
Accepted:
February 19 2026
Citation
Chai X, Sun Y, Liu Q, Liu Y, Cao H (2026), "Wind tunnel tests on wind loads acting on micro-butterfly windbreak nets". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Structures and Buildings, Vol. 179 No. 5 pp. 595–606, doi: https://doi.org/10.1680/jstbu.25.00271
Download citation file:
177
Views
Suggested Reading
Development of sustainable pavement maintenance treatment options for low-volume rural roads
Infrastructure Asset Management (January,2026)
Tees Tidelands, UK – restore, reconnect, realign
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering (December,2024)
Briefing: Groundwater and the subsurface
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering (February,2025)
Editorial: Use of biopolymers in environmental geotechnics
Environmental Geotechnics (May,2025)
Impact of sodium hydroxide molarity on mechanical properties of fly ash–slag-based geopolymer concrete
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Structures and Buildings (January,2025)
Related Chapters
Sustainability and Climate Change
Water Supply and Distribution Systems
Sustainability
Structural Design of Buildings: Fundamentals in Design, Management and Sustainability
Water Demand: Estimation, Forecasting and Management
Water Supply and Distribution Systems
Recommended for you
These recommendations are informed by your reading behaviors and indicated interests.
