• Wind and Structures
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.131-145
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• 2012

Severe wind is one of the major natural hazards in Australia. The component contributors to economic loss in Australia with regards to severe wind are tropical cyclones, thunderstorms and subtropical (synoptic) storms. Geoscience Australia's Risk and Impact Analysis Group (RIAG) is developing mathematical models to study a number of natural hazards including wind hazard. This paper discusses wind hazard under current and future climate conditions using RIAG's synoptic wind hazard model. This model can be used in non-cyclonic regions of Australia (Region A in the Australian-New Zealand Wind Loading Standard; AS/NZS 1170.2:2011) where the wind hazard is dominated by synoptic and thunderstorm gust winds.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.72 no.5
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• pp.541-555
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• 2019

Wind induced dynamic responses on hyperbolic cooling tower (HCT) shells are complicated functions of structure and wind properties, such as the fundamental frequency f_min, damping ratio ζ, wind velocity V, correlationship in meridian direction and so on, but comprehensions on the sensitivities of the dynamic responses to these four factors are still limited and disagree from each other. Following the dynamic calculation in time domain, features of dynamic effects were elaborated, focusing on the background and resonant components σ_B and σ_R, and their contributions to the total rms value σ_T. The σ_R is always less than σ_B when only the maximum σ_T along latitude is concerned and the contribution of σ_R to σ_T varies with responses and locations, but the σ_R couldn't be neglected for structural design. Then, parameters of the above four factors were artificially adjusted respectively and their influences on the gust responses were illustrated. The relationships of σ_R and the former three factors were expressed by fitted equations which shows certain differences from the existing equations. Moreover, a new strategy for wind tunnel tests aiming at surface pressures and the following dynamic calculations, which demands less experiment equipment, was proposed according to the influence from meridian correlationship.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 1994

Wind load or snow load, acting on agricultural structures is working more sensitive than any other load and therefore plays an important role in determination of design loads of agricultural structures. In this study, unit snow weight, greatest gust speed and depth of snow fall were analyzed and applied to determine the amount of frames. The unit snow weights were statistically classified and calculated in the basis of mean temperature and showed considerable differences between the unit snow weights at below and above -1$^{\circ}C$. Equations for estimating greatest gust speed with fastest wind speed were developed for inland and seaside districts. The calculated values from developed equations were little higher than those from the current equation in general. The difference between the depths of snow cover and snow fall, which shows the possibility of reduction of design loads under the adequate management. Design wind speed estimated by a modified equation suggested the amount of frames less than those by current one, and the depth of snow fall as a design snow depth suggested the amount of frames more than those of snow cover. Therefore, it is very important to select the adequate design values considering the characteristics of agricultural structures.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.5 no.2_3_4
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• pp.151-164
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• 2002

Predictions of the pedestrian level wind speeds for the downtown area of Auckland that have been obtained by wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modelling are presented. The wind tunnel method involves the observation of erosion patterns as the wind speed is progressively increased. The computational solutions are mean flow calculations, which were obtained by using the finite volume code PHOENICS and the $k-{\varepsilon}$ turbulence model. The results for a variety of wind directions are compared, and it is observed that while the patterns are similar there are noticeable differences. A possible explanation for these differences arises because the tunnel prediction technique is sensitivity to gust wind speeds while the CFD method predicts mean wind speeds. It is shown that in many cases the computational model indicates high mean wind speeds near the corner of a building while the erosion patterns are consistent with eddies being shed from the edge of the building and swept downstream.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.541-563
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• 2014

This paper investigates the topographic effects on wind characteristics over hilly terrain, based on wind data recorded at a number of meteorological stations in or near complex terrain. The multiply data sources allow a more detailed investigation of the flow field than is normally possible. Vertical profiles of mean and turbulent wind components from a Sodar profiler were presented and then modeled as functions of height and wind speed. The correlations between longitudinal and vertical wind components were discussed. The phenomena of flow separation and generation of vortices were observed. The distance-dependence of the topographic effects on gust factors was revealed subsequently. Furthermore, the canyon effect was identified and discussed based on the observations of wind at a saddle point between two mountain peaks. This study aims to further understanding of the characteristics of surface wind over rugged terrain. The presented results are expected to be useful for structural design, prevention of pollutant dispersion, and validation of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) models or techniques over complex terrains.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.417-421
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• 2006

A comparative study of wind speed spectrum based on the in-situ observation at the SeoHae bridge site is conducted. Wind speed and directions of the SeoHae bridge site is measured and analyzed. Mean wind speed and turbulence intensity are estimated. The power spectral density function of the fluctuating component of the wind velocity is estimated. Several wind spectrum models of gust wind turbulence are compared and discussed based on the estimated wind spectrum.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.177-188
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• 2012

The meteorological events that cause most strong winds in Brazil are extra-tropical cyclones, downbursts and tornadoes. However, one hurricane formed off the coastline of southern Brazil in 2005, a tropical storm formed in 2010 and there are predictions that others may form again. Events such as those described in the paper and which have occurred before 1987, generate data for the wind map presented in the Brazilian wind loading code NBR-6123. This wind map presents the reference wind speeds based on 3-second gust wind speed at 10 m height in open terrain, with 50-year return period, varying from 30 m/s (north half of country) to 50 m/s (extreme south). There is not a separation of the type of climatological event which generated each registered velocity. Therefore, a thunderstorm (TS), an extra-tropical pressure system (EPS) or even a tropical cyclone (TC) are treated the same and its resulting velocities absorbed without differentiation. Since the flow fields generated by each type of meteorological event may be distinct, the indiscriminate combination of the highest wind velocities with aerodynamic coefficients from boundary layer wind tunnels may lead to erroneous loading in buildings.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.77-109
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• 1998

An evaluation and comparison of seven of the world's major building codes and standards is conducted in this study, with specific discussion of their estimations of the alongwind, acrosswind, and torsional response, where applicable, for a given building. The codes and standards highlighted by this study are those of the United States, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, China and Europe. In addition, the responses predicted by using the measured power spectra of the alongwind, acrosswind and torsional responses for several building shapes tested in a wind tunnel are presented and a comparison between the response predicted by wind tunnel data and that estimated by some of the standards is conducted. This study serves not only as a comparison of the response estimates by international codes and standards, but also introduces a new set of wind tunnel data for validation of wind tunnel-based empirical expressions.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.133-142
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• 2000

Engineered structures such as buildings and bridges in certain regions of the world need to be designed to withstand tropical cyclone winds, otherwise known as typhoons or hurricanes. In order to carry out this design, it is necessary to be able to estimate the maximum wind speeds likely to be encountered by the structure over its expected lifetime, say 100 years. Estimation of the maximum wind involves not only the overall strength of the tropical cyclone, but the variation of wind speed with radius from the centre, circumferential position, and with height above the ground surface. In addition, not only the mean wind speed, but also the gust factor must usually be estimated as well. This paper investigates a number of recent mathematical models of tropical cyclone structure and comments on their suitability for these purposes in a variety of scenarios.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.163-176
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• 2012

Damaging winds, associated with a variety of weather phenomena, are frequently experienced in New Zealand. Observations and modelling of two recent extreme wind events; the Taranaki tornado outbreak of July 2007, and the Greymouth down-slope easterly wind storm of July 2008 are described in detail here. Post-event engineering damage surveys, rare for New Zealand, were done for these storms and the results are summarized here. Finally, the issue of sampling extreme wind events is raised and the need to include detailed numerical modelling analysis to understand wind gust climatologies at observing sites and extending these to wider regions is discussed.