Wind-Tunnel Studies of Buildings and Structures

The ASCE Standard 7 and many other codes of practice now allow the use of wind tunnel model studies for developing wind loading information to supplement and, in some situations, replace code wind loads. As a result, it is important for the engineering community to be aware of the circumstances in which wind-tunnel model tests may be advantageous or even necessary and to become familiar with the underlying physical principles and procedures, which must be followed to ensure that meaningful information is obtained. The ASCE Manual 67 was published in 1987 to assist engineers, architects, and other users of wind-tunnel services. The wind-engineering field has been evolving rapidly, and members of the Aerospace Division have been busy in developing an update. This new manual is currently in the ASCE Blue Ribbon Review process and is scheduled to be published in 1996. The new edition of the Manual of Practice for Wind-Tunnel Studies of Buildings and Structures has two distinct parts. Part 1 is an expanded version of ASCE Manual 67, which has been updated to reflect changes in technology and which has additional information for model studies of atmospheric dispersion around buildings, quality control, and procedures for combining wind-tunnel findings with climatic wind data in order to provide statistical predictions of full-scale wind loads and wind-induced effects. Part 2 is a detailed commentary that provides explanations, supporting information on methodology, and examples of typical tests; it also includes an extensive bibliography. The material presented provides a preview of this new manual. Due to space limitations, only part 1 and the bibliography are included at this time. The full manual will be available in 1996 and interested readers can get further information from the ASCE.