Classification Protocol and Comprehensive Database of Vertically Correlated Longitudinal Wind Velocities for Structural Analysis and Risk Assessment

Abstract

This manuscript presents a streamlined protocol to generate and classify synthetic random wind samples. The manuscript is accompanied with a comprehensive and publicly accessible repository of spatially and temporally correlated wind velocity samples for use in probabilistic structural analysis and design. The samples are classified based on the maximum sustained wind speed (maximum 1-min average), and the 3-s gust wind speed (maximum 3-s average), which are the intensity measures commonly used for structural analysis and fragility development. A comparative analysis showed the difference between the direct application of the intensity measure definition (by moving average) and the popular conversion factors used in practice. A classification based on the moving average analysis was found to result in portfolios of samples in each category that better capture the probabilistic characteristics of wind. To demonstrate the use and the importance of the constructed wind repository, a case study of fragility curves analysis of an elevated water tank steel lattice tower is presented. The developed wind database will allow researchers and engineers to select and use wind time histories for many applications, such as the analysis of tall structures located in open terrain areas.