Wind actions and effects on structures

Abstract

This chapter deals with the studies on wind actions and effects on structures carried out between the late nineteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. It starts speaking of the developments associated with the evolution and failure of suspension bridges, as well as with the new issue about the behaviour of towers and skyscrapers in the wind. It then passes to examine the renewed culture spanning the whole range of structures that came to maturity in this period; it gained ground through state of the arts and textbooks representing milestones of a discipline that is herein organised along four conceptually sequential topics: design wind speed, building aerodynamics, dynamic response to turbulent wind and aeroelastic phenomena. The presentation of the design wind speed addresses the mean and peak profiles, the time–space structure of turbulence and their probability of occurrence. Building aerodynamics is illustrated with special regard to the growing use and potential of wind tunnel facilities. The dynamic response to the turbulent wind is examined with reference to the transition from deterministic to random dynamics. Aeroelastic phenomena are discussed mainly with regard to vortex shedding, galloping and flutter.