Effect of wind in the design of reinforced concrete buildings

ABSTRACT This paper presents the results from a parametric study carried in order to quantify how far errors in the design stage related to the consideration of the wind action may put at risk the response and safety of reinforced concrete buildings. Using an architectural model as reference and varying the number of floors of the building, the structural safety was evaluated as a function of the wind action intensity. Results showed that even for low-rise buildings, with 10 floors, ignoring the wind action can significantly jeopardize their behaviour and safety. Yet, for slenderer buildings, up to 30 floors, it can lead to catastrophic results, as the ruin of the structure by progressive collapse.

摘要 本文开展了一项参数化研究，旨在量化评估设计阶段中因风荷载考虑不周所引发的误差，会在多大程度上危及钢筋混凝土（reinforced concrete）建筑的结构响应与安全性能。本研究以某建筑模型为参照基准，通过调整建筑楼层数，以风荷载强度为变量对结构安全性能进行评估。研究结果表明，即便对于10层的低层建筑，忽略风荷载作用也会显著危及其结构性能与安全；而对于最高30层的细长型建筑，忽略风荷载则可能引发灾难性后果，即结构发生渐进式倒塌（progressive collapse）而损毁。