CENG 5560 - Structural Design

Topic: Wind Load

Birhane Aregawi
Mekelle university, Eit-M
 WIND LOADS

What create wind?

As the sun shines on the earth different parts of the land and sea heat at different
speeds. This result in high and low pressure areas and leads to the lift and fall of air
passes across the entire globe. Due to the angle of the earth while rotating the majority
of the heat falls upon the middle of the world(equator) and much less towards the ice
caps of the northern and southern hemisphere this means that as the warm air rises on
the equator the cold air is pulled in from the ice caps. This spreads the warmth across the
globe and results in moving air patterns.
What is wind load?
• Wind is air in motion. structure deflects or stops the wind, converting the wind’s kinetic
energy into potential energy of pressure, thus create wind loads.

• The intensity of the wind pressure depends on:

Shape of structure, Angle of the induced wind, Velocity of air, Density of air and
Stiffness of structure

• Wind loads act normal to the surface of the structure.

• Negative/Suction/ - when it acts away from the structure

• Positive/Pressure/ – when it acts in to the structure

• Even though the wind loads are dynamic and highly variable, the design approach is
based on an equivalent maximum static load.
• Winds are measured regularly at a large number of locations. The standard
measurement is at 10m above the surrounding terrain, which provides a fixed reference
with regard to the drag effects of the ground surface.

• In EBCS, the reference wind velocity Vref is defined as the 10 minute mean wind velocity
at 10m above ground of terrain category II .
 Methods of analysis
• A simple procedure of EBCS is (quasi-static method)
applied to those structures whose structural properties
do not make them susceptible to dynamic excitation.

The quasi-static method may be used for buildings

and chimneys less than 200m tall provided the
value of cd (see EBCS-1, 1995, section 3.9.3) is less
than 1.2.

• A detailed dynamic analysis procedure is required for

those structures which are likely to be susceptible to
dynamic excitation and for which the value of the
dynamic coefficient of cd is greater than 1.2.
 EQUIVALENT STATIC WIND LOADS ON STRUCTURES
(QUASI-STATIC METHOD)
• Wind pressure on surfaces:
– External pressure (We): is the wind pressure acting on the external
surface of a structure and shall be obtained from

We=qref ce(ze) cpe

– Internal pressure (Wi): is the wind pressure acting on the internal

surface of a structure and shall be obtained from

Wi=qref ce(zi) cpi

– Net pressure: the net pressure (wind) across a wall or element is the
difference of the pressures on each surface taking into account of their
signs.( pressure, directed towards the surface is taken as positive and
suction ,directed away from the surface as negative).
 We=qref ce(ze) cpe Wi=qref ce(zi) cpi

• Reference wind pressure, qref

1 2
q ref  v ref Air density, : Table 3.1
2
• Reference wind velocity, Vref
Vref =CDIRCTEMPCALTVref,o
• Exposure coefficients, Ce(Ze),Ce(Zi)
 
Ce ( z )  Cr ( z )Ct z 1   Sect.3.4.2
2 2 7 K T
Cr ( z ).Ct ( z ) 
 

• Roughness coefficient, Cr(z) Sect.3.8.2

 Cr(z) = KT ln (Z/Zo) for Zmin ≤ Z ≤ 200 m
 Cr(z) = Cr(Zmin) for Z ≤ Zmin
 KT =Terrain factor Sect. 3.8.3 (Table 3.2)
• Topography coefficient, Ct(Z): Sect.3.8.4
 External pressure coefficients, Cpe

• Accounts for the variation in dynamic pressure on different zones

of a structure due to its geometry, area, and proximity to other
structures.

Cpe = Cpe,1 A ≤ 1m2

Cpe = Cpe,1 + (Cpe,10 - Cpe,1) log10A 1m2 < A < 10m2
Cpe = Cpe,10 A ≥ 10m2

• The values Cpe,10 and Cpe,1 in Tables A.1 to A.5 (pages 71 to

79) are given for orthogonal wind directions 00, 900, 1800
 Aerodynamic Coefficients

• For Vertical Walls (Appendix A.2.2)

• For Roofs (Flat, Monopitch, Doupitch, Hipped,
Multispan roofs)
• The external and internal pressure coefficients, Cpe
and Cpi
These coefficients depend on the loaded area
of a building and individual parts of a
building. Different zones of the loaded area
are subjected to different magnitude and
direction of pressures.
Internal pressure coefficients, Cpi

• The internal pressure coefficient for

buildings with out internal partitions is
given in Fig A-11 (page 83) and is a
function of the opening ratio μ which is
defined as:


 area of openings at the leeward and parallel sides
 area of openings at the windward , leeward , and wid parallel sides