Snow load computation of greenhouses using CFD-DEM method

As climate changes cause more severe extreme weather events, the frequency of heavy snow has increased significantly.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration’s 2021 report, snowfall was three times higher than recent averages, causing $ 10 million in damages primarily from greenhouse collapses.
These collapses create secondary damage through both recovery costs and lost crop production.
Greenhouse destruction by snow occurs from excess loads or eccentric loads, with eccentric loading caused by uneven snow distribution due to wind conditions and roof design.
However, current domestic design standards assume uniform snow loads, making it difficult to account for eccentric loading effects.
This study aims to characterize snow load distribution on greenhouses through laboratory experiments using artificial snow on greenhouse models and sloping plates, combined with numerical analysis using coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM). The CFD-DEM model was validated against experimental data, with relative errors of 4.9-7.4% between simulated and measured snow depths.
Simulations examined effects of wind conditions, roof shape, and span number using the validated model.
The results provide a foundation for evaluating greenhouse structural safety considering snow load distribution patterns and developing prediction and warning systems for potential structural failures.

International Symposium on New Technologies for Sustainable Greenhouse Systems: GreenSys2023

Y.B. Choi, J.H. Cho, H.H. Jeong, S.M. Kang, D.I. Kim, Y.W. Cho, I.B. Lee

computational fluid dynamics, discrete element method, greenhouse, snow load, snow load distribution

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1426.60