Gust Response Factors

The gust response factor is a measure of the effective wind loading on a structure and is intended to translate the dynamic response phenomena due to gust loading into relatively simpler static design criteria. The calculation involves a power spectrum analysis of dynamic structural response of a linear, single-degree-of-freedom system with viscous damping and utilizes reported measurements of wind gust spectra and gust correlation coefficients. Calculated results of this method are presented in the form of charts which permit the direct determination of gust response factors. A rational method of transferring long-term Weather Bureau wind records to rough and obstructed exposures is presented. The effect of gusts on the design and serviceability of buildings is discussed. For large structures, the results of this paper suggest that the use of fastest mile pressures could overestimate the true wind loading on such structures.