A Beginner's Guide to ASCE 7-05

Chapter 7 - W: Wind Loads

© 2007, T. Bartlett Quimby

Section 7.1

Overview

Last Revised: 10/15/2008

Wind is flowing air.  As a fluid, it impacts and is redirected by the structures that it encounters, resulting in complex flow paths and variable pressures across the surfaces that it interfaces with.  The interaction of fluids and structures is studied using principles of fluid mechanics and experimental testing on models in wind tunnels as well as full scale buildings in the open environment.

Given the chaotic nature of wind and pressures that it exerts on structures, a true detailed modeling to obtain detailed mapping of the resulting surface pressures on actual structures is not feasible.  However, experimental results have shown that the effects of wind can be adequately approximated by simplified equations that envelope the anticipated pressures sufficient for designers to feel confident that the structures they design will be able to resist actual wind forces.