Dynamic approach to the wind loading of structures: Alongwind, crosswind and torsional response

Abstract

This paper provides a general framework of the dynamic approach to the wind loading of structures, in particular of vertical structures such as buildings, towers and chimneys. The first part of the paper deals with the classical problems of the dynamic alongwind response and of the equivalent static forces, defining a chain of nondimensional coefficients, referred to as the gust factors, aimed at determining the maximum response for engineering applications to structural design. The second part of the paper generalises the above formulations and concepts to the crosswind and torsional response of structures due to gust buffeting; the focal problem of the vortex shedding is introduced but not developed in the due detail. The formulations and the applications discussed focuse on the analytical tools developed at the University of Genoa.