Static Wind Loads on Circular Concave Cable Roofs

Experimentally determined time-smoothed wind pressure distributions on a rigid model of a circular concave roof are presented. The loadings are then used in an analytical investigation of the static response of a cable network. It is observed that the flow separates from the leading edge of the structure and may or may not reattach, depending on the height-to-diameter ratio of the building and on the relative boundary layer thickness. Also, ground roughness has a significant effect on the velocity profile of the approaching flow and on the resulting pressure distribution. For a circular concave cable roof subjected to the experimentally determined asymmetric wind loading, nonlinear effects are important in determining the load-deformation behavior. As the magnitude of the loading increases, nonlinear effects become more pronounced.