Estimation of wind loads on a tall building by an inverse method

Abstract

Many engineering applications require the knowledge of wind loads on structures. However, it is difficult or even impossible to measure these excitation forces from prototype structures directly. In this paper, a Kalman filtering-based inverse approach is developed to estimate the wind loads on tall buildings. The inverse method allows estimating the wind forces on a tall building based on limited structural responses. The optimum solution of Kalman filter gain by solving the Riccati equation is used to update the wind load identification. The practicability and accuracy of the developed inverse method are evaluated based on wind tunnel testing results of a square-shaped tall building. The wind loads identified by the developed method are compared with those by an augmented Kalman filtering-based technique for further verification of the effectiveness and reliability of the presented inverse approach. The influences of key factors such as the type of wind-induced response, covariance matrix of external loads, covariance matrix of noise, errors of structural modal parameters, and levels of noise involved in the measured responses on the wind load estimations are examined and discussed. It is shown through the comparative studies that the developed inverse method is an effective tool for estimating the wind loads on tall buildings based on limited structural responses. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.