Experimental Investigation and Estimation of Wind Load and Wind-Induced Responses of Monopole Three-Sided Billboard

Abstract

Large single-column billboards are vulnerable to wind hazards. The current building codes for the wind-resistant design of single-sided billboard structure is not applicable to multisided billboards. Therefore, there is a need to carry out comprehensive studies of the wind-resistant design of multisided billboards. This paper presents a comprehensive study of the wind loads and wind-induced responses of monopole three-sided billboard structures based on a series of wind tunnel tests. The aerodynamic testing was performed on a rigid billboard model to measure the wind-induced pressure on the rectangular billboard plates. The wind loads on the billboard in alongwind, crosswind, and torsional components were quantified. In addition, aeroelastic testing was performed for an aeroelastic model of the same structure to measure the dynamic wind-induced responses at the base of the supporting column. The stress at the base of the supporting column was calculated based on the measured responses. The result shows that the normal stress under the alongwind bending moment has a significant contribution to total normal stress, and the shear stresses caused by torsion and shear force can be ignored when calculating von Mises stress. The most unfavorable wind direction is 0° in terms of maximum von Mises stress. A theoretical framework is proposed to estimate the alongwind response in the 0° wind direction with the consideration of aerodynamic damping, and the framework was validated using the measurements. The results revealed the importance of the consideration of the aerodynamic damping and the resonant component. This study provides a comprehensive discussion of the wind loads and the analytical approach for the prediction of the wind-induced responses of monopole three-sided billboard structures, which can be used to design and assess the vulnerability of monopole three-sided billboard structures to wind hazards.