Unbalanced snow distribution is one of the main reasons for the collapse of multi-span arch roofs due to excessive snow loads in the valley and leeward areas. The formation of uneven snowdrifts is closely related to the shape of the building as it seriously affects the turbulent structure and snow drifting process. This study aims to investigate the snowdrift characteristics of multi-span arch roofs based on a multiphase snowdrift approach. Firstly, the prediction accuracy of the flow field is tested to select a reasonable turbulence model. Then, the reliability of this multiphase approach is validated by comparing the results with a wind tunnel experiment of snowdrifts on a multi-span arch roof. The result preliminarily proves that this approach could well reproduce the unbalanced snowdrift on each span roof and at the trough. The snowdrift characteristics of multi-span arch roofs are investigated under different rise/span ratio and span number conditions based on the validated approach. The formation mechanism and characteristics of snowdrifts on different roofs are clarified by analysis. Finally, several typical distribution patterns are derived based on the statistical analysis of results. It is found that the middle-span roof bears a larger snow load than the roofs at both ends.

积雪分布不均衡是山谷和背风区域积雪过多导致多跨度拱形屋顶倒塌的主要原因之一。不均匀的雪堆的形成与建筑物的形状密切相关，因为它会严重影响湍流结构和积雪过程。这项研究旨在研究基于多相雪堆方法的多跨拱形屋顶的雪堆特性。首先，对流场的预测精度进行测试，以选择合理的湍流模型。然后，通过将结果与多跨拱形屋顶上的雪堆的风洞实验进行比较，验证了这种多阶段方法的可靠性。结果初步证明，该方法可以很好地再现每个跨度屋面和槽上不平衡的雪堆。基于验证的方法，研究了在不同升/跨比和跨度条件下，多跨拱形屋顶的雪漂移特性。通过分析，明确了不同屋顶上雪堆的形成机理和特征。最后，根据结果的统计分析得出几种典型的分布模式。发现中跨屋顶比两端的屋顶承受更大的雪荷载。