Research on the Interference Effects of Wind Loads on Substation Buildings in Mountainous Terrain

Due to environmental changes, extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent, often leading to accidents involving power transmission and transformation equipment in mountainous areas. Currently, research on the wind resistance of substation buildings is limited, and studies on low-rise structures mainly focus on isolated buildings, without considering the impact of terrain features such as mountains. Under the influence of such interference, the wind loads may exceed design values, affecting the safety of the structure and substation system. In this paper, based on the pressure measurement wind tunnel tests of rigid model, the interference effects of wind load on substation room under different mountain distances and different surrounding buildings are studied. The results show that when the mountain is located in the windward direction of the substation building, it mainly plays a shielding role, and the existence of the mountain will reduce the wind load at the substation building. Specifically, when the mountain is positioned in front of the building, the average wind load decreases by approximately 70%, while a rearward mountain reduces the wind load by 15% to 35%. When the mountain is located laterally, the wind load increases by approximately 16% to 37%. In most cases, surrounding buildings reduce the absolute value of the wind load on the substation building; however, under certain conditions, they can cause a change in the wind pressure direction.