Gust loading factors for design applications

Wind loads on structures under the buffeting action of wind gusts have been treated tradition ally by the "gust loading factor" (GLF) method in most major codes and standards around the world. The equivalent static wind loading used for design is equal to the mean wind force multiplied by the GLF. Although the traditional GLF method can ensure an accurate estimation of the displacement response, it fails to provide a reliable estimate of some other response components. In order to overcome this shortcoming, a more realistic procedure for design loads is proposed in this paper. The procedure developed herein employs a base moment GLF rather than the traditional displacement based GLF. The expected extreme base moment is computed by multiplying the mean base moment by the proposed GLF. The extreme base moment is then distributed to each floor in terms of the floor load in a format very similar to the one used to distribute the base shear in the current design practice for earthquakes. Numerical examples show the convenience in use and the accuracy of the proposed procedure over the traditional approach.