The Relationship between Wind Pressure and Pressure Coefficients for the Definition of Wind Loads on Buildings

Abstract

Wind induced pressures on buildings are the product of a velocity pressure and a pressure coefficient. The way in which these two quantities are calculated has changed over the years, and Design Codes have been modified accordingly. This paper tracks the evolution of the approach to wind loading of buildings from the practice in the 1950s, mainly referring to the Swiss Code SIA, to the most recent advances including probabilistic methods, internet databases, and advanced modelling of meteorological phenomena.

Keywords

• wind pressure coefficients
• wind load
• design codes
• wind tunnel tests
• aerodynamic database