Macro Wind Parameters for Load Combination

Abstract

Nine sites across the United States are examined to obtain pertinent macro time variability statistics of wind loads. The parameters developed are those used in many of the existing probabilistic‐based load combination methods. It is found that a clustering model is appropriate for the macro variations in wind. The parameters are verified by comparing extreme annual and 50‐year winds obtained from the developed model with those statistics previously obtained by other researchers. Estimates of composite statistics for the contiguous United States are made. These statistics include the mean rate of occurrence, mean duration of the cluster, mean duration of individual winds, and mean number of winds per cluster. Parameters for an extreme type I distribution of wind speed intensity are developed in terms of the 50‐year design wind speed.