Wind-sensitivity in design of structures

The sensitivity to fluctuating wind loads of a structure is a ground basic in the wind-resistant design theory. However, it still remains unresolved concerning how to describe the wind sensitivity quantitatively. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a method with physical connotative meaning to solve the problem mentioned above. Based on the basic theory of random wind-induce vibration analysis, the correlation of the characters of the fluctuating wind and the dynamic characters of the structure are summarized considering time and space factors respectively. The main factors influencing the wind-induced response are grouped to three key effects: size, frequency and mode. The wind-sensitivity conception of a structure is putted forward based on these studies, and a formula for calculating the wind-sensitivity of a structure is derived by considering the strain energy of a system as the response index. The correlated theory is verified through the analysis of the typical roof systems. The study indicates that the wind-sensitivity conception reflects the essential characteristics of wind-induced response, and it can describe the problem about wind-sensitivity objectively and quantitively. Moreover, it provides an effective way to further recognize the wind-induced response mechanism of various structures.