The Use of Aerodynamic and Wind Climatological Databases for High-Rise Reinforced Concrete Structure Design

Abstract

Structural response due to directional wind must be taken into account rigorously and transparently in wind resistant design, particularly for tall buildings. A databaseassisted design (DAD) technique makes it possible to account for directional effects on the structural design of tall buildings. To this end, DAD employs a climatological database consisting of the directional wind speeds at a meteorological station relevant to the building site, an aerodynamic database of the pressure coefficient time histories at large numbers of taps on the exterior building surface, and a micrometeorological data set consisting of the ratio of wind speeds at the standard elevation at that site to the mean hourly wind speeds at the top of the building. This study describes the application of the DAD methodology to the design of a 60-story reinforced concrete high-rise structure using the aerodynamic and wind climatological databases. The DAD procedure provides wind-induced responses with any mean recurrence interval, including demand-to-capacity indexes, inter-story drifts, and top-floor accelerations, and compares their compliance with design criteria.