A deterministic model for along-wind motion of buildings

Abstract

The along-wind response of a slender vertical structure in a turbulent atmospheric boundary layer is investigated by using a linearized time-domain technique. The methodology employs the classical flexural beam theory. The atmospheric wind turbulence is modelled by using cosinusoidal functions with closely spaced frequencies and with random phase angles uniformly distributed between 0 and 2π. The amplitudes of cosinusoidal functions are determined by using the power spectrum of the fluctuating wind velocity. The proposed model predicts the peak responses by using the predetermined quasi-static drag coefficients of a given geometric shape. The predicted peak responses are found to compare reasonably well with the published experimental results for a square building and a rectangular one. By referring to the proposed model, the influence of damping and shape of the building on along-wind response is discussed. © 1989.