A fully-coupled generalized model for multi-directional wind loads on tall buildings: A development of the quasi-steady theory

This study examines in detail the quasi-steady aerodynamic theory, which is widely applied in wind engineering for the evaluation of wind loads. The authors propose an alternative approach and a novel generalized aerodynamic formulation for the wind-induced dynamic response of a bluff body. The proposed formulation is applied to the dynamic analysis of tall buildings, considering multi-directional wind loads, aerodynamic damping and aerodynamic stiffness effects, and inter-modal structural coupling. Dimensionless Fourier transformation is used in the formulation to provide a general “unified formula” and new insights on the modeling and estimation of wind loads. One numerical example is presented to verify the validity of the formula; numerical simulations are compared against literature data (wind tunnel test results) for a benchmark building structure.