E. Simiu et T. Stathopoulos, CODIFICATION OF WIND LOADS ON BUILDINGS USING BLUFF-BODY AERODYNAMICSAND CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA-BASES, Journal of wind engineering and industrial aerodynamics, 71, 1997, pp. 497-506
Current data storage and computational capabilities allow the developm
ent of a new generation of standards whose provisions on wind loads ca
n be structured as knowledge-based systems drawing the requisite infor
mation from large data bases. We show several examples demonstrating t
hat such provisions could be significantly more realistic and risk-con
sistent than their conventional counterparts, which are of necessity b
ased on reductive formulas, tables and plots. We point out the necessa
ry interaction between development of knowledge-based standard provisi
ons and the acquisition of aerodynamics and wind climatology data. Fin
ally, we suggest that in addition to serving structural designers' nee
ds, knowledge-based standard provisions could serve the insurance indu
stry as certified hazard assessment tools that would be more realistic
and dependable than similar tools developed without the benefit of ca
reful public scrutiny and broad professional consensus.