Engineering Review of ASCE 7-16 Wind-Load Provisions and Wind Effect on Tall Concrete-Frame Buildings

Abstract

Wind load is one of the main concerns for engineers in the design of tall buildings. In contrast to seismic demand, the wind load spectrum has more energy at lower frequencies, which is why taller buildings that have less frequency are more sensitive to wind load. Equivalent static wind load (ESWL) is the primary method to calculate the mean wind load and fluctuation effect due to wind turbulence-structure interaction, called the gust effect. The most accepted way to calculate the effect is the gust load factor (GLF) approach, which is widely adopted by current codes and standards. With further improvements, the base moment gust load factor (MGLF) method enhances the GLF method and eliminates its disadvantages. This paper discusses all aspects of defining wind load and studies the effect of certain parameters on the calculation. This paper focuses on calculating the along-wind force and how the gust effect changes by following the procedure in the relevant ASCE standard and comparing the approaches and results side by side.