Design Wind Loads on Open Structures

Would anyone know where I can find an article or information on wind load magnitudes on open structures. BOCA and ASCE-7 give guidance for roof overhangs and open structures with roof slopes however they do not specifically address other open structures.

I am currently working on a small project where the budget does not allow for a wind tunnel study. The stucture is located at the shore.

 

[STLBlueRam]

First of all, I am venturing to guess that you are not a structural engineer. If your not an engieer, I suggest you consult w/ one because you are dealing with a subject many structural engineers have trouble with. Secondly, if you are a structural engineer, you must only have a portion of Chapter 6 "Wind Loads" from ASCE 7-98. There is a method to determine wind loading on an open structure. Use Eqns. 6-15 along w/ 6-13 and disregard internal pressure. Distribution of the wind pressure to the members is up to your engineering judgement.

Good luck.

 

[amokhta]

CAB30:

A very good source of information is the ASCE Publication "Wind Loads and Anchor Bolt Design for Petrochemical Facilities". It has good discussions and design examples for Open Framed Structures.

Best Regards

 

[spats]

This is in response to STLBlueRam's comments: The ASCE 7-98 equation is 6-20, not 6-15. 6-20 refers you to Tables 6-9 through 6-12 (it should say 6-9 through 6-13) for force coefficient Cf. The only one of these tables that actually applies to a building is Table 6-9, which is for monoslope roofs. So if you have an open building, and it's not a monoslope roof, there are no provisions in ASCE 7 to cover it!
P.S. I am a structural engineer. If STLBlueRam sees this, I'd appreciate a response.

 

[STLBlueRam]

Spats,

I stand corrected, equation 6-20 is the more relevant equation in this case. I should have gone to the code instead of citing references contained in my spreadsheet.

By the way, CAB30 refers to his/her's structure as an "other open structure", not an "open building", as a result I would assume that what he/she is talking about is a structure w/o a roof. If CAB30's structure is w/o a roof, it is acceptable practice to treat this structure as a trussed tower and ASCE-7 98 gives a method to determine design wind pressure on such a structure.

P.S.: I prefer to use eqn. 6-15 w/ Cf defined per Table 6-13, qz defined per Section 6.5.13, and GCpi defined per Table 6.7.... just personal preference. Have a nice day.