Wind forces on side walls of building 1

[SuG89]

Hello,

The typical wind load distribution on a building is pressure on windward wall, suction on leeward and side walls. The suction load on side walls is equal and opposite in nature and hence should cancel out resulting in net force equal to zero. Is this correct?

How does the above relate to across-wind loads that are typically specified by wind design codes?

Regards,
Su

 

[phamENG]

In the states we don't have across wind effects spelled out in our codes - they are things that we acknowledge exist and, if they do, the engineer is on their own to design for them.

But for buildings that don't have across wind effects, you are correct - they cancel out for the global main wind force effects.

BUT - you still need to consider them. Take a wood framed building as an example. Your shear walls will experience an in plane, lateral shear load from the combination of the windward and leeward pressures. But the chords and individual studs will also experience a pressure from the side wind load. This is a local effect, not global, so there is no equal and opposite wind force to cancel it locally. That gives you a combined bending and axial situation to design for.

How they mix with across wind effects - don't know.

 

[SuG89]

Thanks for your quick revert. Is there any criteria that can be used to decide whether a building (regular and irregular shape) will experience across-wind effects or not?

Regards,
Su