ASCE 7-22 Wind Speed Profiles and Velocity Pressure Exposure Coefficients for Structural Design

Abstract

The ASCE 7-16 standard and its previous editions specify wind speeds for structural design that increase monotonically above the Earth’s surface up to heights between 200 and 400 m, above which they are considered constant. This model was proposed in the 1960s and based on research completed up to that time. Subsequent research has shown that the model is inadequate and may result in the significant underestimation of wind loads in the higher elevations of supertall and megatall structures. For this reason, a new model for the vertical variation of wind speeds and associated velocity pressure exposure coefficients, Kz, was developed for inclusion in the ASCE 7-22 standard. The purpose of this paper is to present and explain the logic of the new model based on physics-based meteorological research.