Wind pressure distribution on shell structures

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to digital@library.tamu.edu, referencing the URI of the item.One of the most important loads that an architect or engineer is concerned with in the structural design of buildings is wind pressure, and it is one of the most difficult structural loads to estimate. The necessity of making a close estimate relates to both cost and safety. This study has revealed that wind pressure criteria for shell structures is not adequately covered by most building codes. Those that do exist are rather vague and sometimes erroneous. One recently published design manual states that since stagnation pressure coefficients cannot exceed +1.0, this will be the maximum pressure that can be expected on a structure (22). This study has proven that it is not the positive pressures but the negative pressures that should govern the design of structures, regardless of their shape. Where is the architect to turn for this vital information? He must either rely on outdated standards or test models himself. Where facilities are available, model testing for wind pressure is the surest way to achieve a proper design. However, many designers do not have at their command such facilities and, therefore, must depend upon the results of research done by others. Consequently, it would be of great benefit to the architectural profession for additional research to be done in this area. The number of shapes that can be designed and constructed using the thin shell method is endless. Therefore, extensive research should be accomplished. Models B, C, D, and G were designed to represent the more accepted forms of shell shapes being constructed; Models E and F are somewhat extreme. The nature of the various plots should nevertheless give an insight into the types of geometry leading to extreme pressure reductions. This thesis is presented as a first step toward the vast amount of research needed in this area