Optimisation of the acquisition points in wind tunnel pressure measurement

In order to optimize the structural design of buildings it is often convenient to recur to wind tunnel tests on scaled models, including loads and pressure measurements. While performing pressure measurements models have to be equipped with a limited number of sensors; one of the problems to be faced during the setting-up of the tests is to determine the optimal number and placement of the pressure taps. It is proposed a method that uses statistical techniques able to reconstruct the pressure ime histories, in real scale, in the zones between the investigated positions. Finally the optimal number and position of the measuring points is analyzed by means of a technique based on neural networks.