For controlling the vibration of specific building structure with large span, a practical method for the design of MTMD was developed according to the characteristics of structures subjected to wind loads. Based on the model of analyzing wind-induced response of large-span structure with MTMD, the optimization method of multiple tuned mass dampers for large-span roof structures subjected to wind loads was established, in which the applicable requirements for strength and fatigue life of TMD spring were considered. According to the method, the controlled modes and placements of TMDs in MTMD were determined through the quantitative analysis on modal contribution to the wind-induced dynamic response of structure. To explore the characteristics of MTMD, the parametric analysis on the effects of mass ratio, damping ratio, central tuning frequency ratio and frequency range of MTMD, was performed in the study. Then the parameters of MTMD were optimized through genetic algorithm and the optimized MTMD showed good dynamic characteristics. The robustness of the optimized MTMD was also investigated.

In this study, residential building damage states observed from a post-tornado damage survey in Joplin after a 2011 EF 5 tornado were used to reconstruct the near-surface wind field. It was based on well-studied relationships between Degrees of Damage (DOD) of building and wind speeds in the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. A total of 4,166 one- or two-family residences (FR12) located in the study area were selected and their DODs were recorded. Then, the wind speeds were estimated with the EF scale. The peak wind speed profile estimated from damage of buildings was used to fit a translating analytical vortex model. Agreement between simulated peak wind speeds and observed damages confirms the feasibility of using post-tornado damage surveys for reconstructing the near-surface wind field. In addition to peak wind speeds, the model can create the time history of wind speed and direction at any given point, offering opportunity to better understand tornado parameters and wind field structures. Future work could extend the method to tornadoes of different characteristics and therefore improve model's generalizability.

In previous model- and full-scale studies, high-amplitude vertical vibrations of mast-arm traffic signal structures have been shown to be due to vortex shedding, a phenomenon in which alternatingly shed, low-pressure vortices induce oscillating forces onto the mast-arm causing a cross-wind response. When the frequency of vortices being shed from the mast-arm corresponds to the natural frequency of the structure, a resonant condition is created causing long-lasting, high-amplitude vibrations which may lead to the fatigue failure of these structures. Turbulence in the approach flow is known to affect the cohesiveness of vortex shedding. Results from this full-scale investigation indicate that the surrounding terrain conditions, which affect the turbulence intensity of the wind, greatly influence the likelihood of occurrence of long-lasting, high-amplitude vibrations and also impact whether reduced service life due to fatigue is likely to be of concern.

In this paper the unsteady fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems with large structural displacement are solved by partitioned solution approaches in the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian finite element framework. The incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved by the characteristic-based split (CBS) scheme. Both a rigid body and a geometrically nonlinear solid are considered as the structural models. The latter is solved by Newton-Raphson procedure. The equation governing the structural motion is advanced by Newmark-${\beta}$ method in time. The dynamic mesh is updated by using moving submesh approach that cooperates with the ortho-semi-torsional spring analogy method. A mass source term (MST) is introduced into the CBS scheme to satisfy geometric conservation law. Three partitioned coupling strategies are developed to take FSI into account, involving the explicit, implicit and semi-implicit schemes. The semi-implicit scheme is a mixture of the explicit and implicit coupling schemes due to the fluid projection splitting. In this scheme MST is renewed for interfacial elements. Fixed-point algorithm with Aitken's ${\Delta}^2$ method is carried out to couple different solvers within the implicit and semi-implicit schemes. Flow-induced vibrations of a bridge deck and a flexible cantilever behind an obstacle are analyzed to test the performance of the proposed methods. The overall numerical results agree well with the existing data, demonstrating the validity and applicability of the present approaches.

Current wind-resistance designs of large-scale indirect dry cooling towers (IDCTs) exclude an important factor: the influence of the ventilation rate for radiator shutter on wind loads on the outer surfaces of the tower shell. More seemingly overlooked aspects are the effects of various ventilation rates on the wind pressure distribution on the tower surfaces of two IDCTs, and the feature of the flow field around them. In order to investigate the effects of the radiator shutter ventilation rates on the aerodynamic interference between IDCTs, this paper established the numerical wind tunnel model based on the Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) technology, and analyzed the influences of various radiator shutter ventilation rates on the aerodynamic loads acting upon a single and two extra-large IDCTs during building, installation, and operation stages. Through the comparison with the results of physical wind tunnel test and different design codes, the results indicated that: the influence of the ventilation rate on the flow field and shape coefficients on the outer surface of a single IDCT is weak, and the curve of mean shape coefficients is close to the reference curve provided by the current design code. In a two-tower combination, the ventilation rate significantly affects the downwind surface of the front tower and the upwind surface of the back tower, and the larger positive pressure shifts down along the upwind surface of the back tower as the ventilation rate increases. The ventilation rate significantly influences the drag force coefficient of the back tower in a two-tower combination, the drag force coefficient increases with the ventilation rate and reaches the maximum in a building status of full ventilation, and the maximum drag coefficient is 11% greater than that with complete closure.

A full-scale instrumented low-rise building with gable roof was built at a coastal site with a high incidence of tropical cyclones for monitoring of wind effects on the building during windstorms. This paper presents the field measurements of the wind velocity field around and the wind-induced pressures on the low-rise building during the passage of severe tropical storm Soudelor. Near-ground wind characteristics such as wind speed, wind direction, turbulence intensity, gust factor, turbulence integral length scale and wind velocity spectra were investigated. The wind-induced pressures on the roof of the building were analyzed and discussed. The results revealed that the eave and ridge edges on the roof were subjected to the most severe suction pressures under quartering winds. These suction pressures showed obvious non-Gaussian behavior. The measured results were compared with the provisions of ASCE 7-10 to assess the suitability of the code of practice for the wind-resistant design of low-rise buildings under tropical cyclones. The field study aims to provide useful information that can enhance our understanding of the extreme wind effects on low-rise buildings in an effort to reduce tropical cyclone wind damages to residential buildings.