Probabilistic Estimation of Extreme Wind Loads on Low-Rise Structures

A probabilistic analysis is applied on full scale data and numerical simulations to characterize extreme values of pressure coefficients on low-rise structures. The full scale data analyzed here, provided by the Florida Coastal Monitoring Program, are obtained from measurements made on the roof of a house in Florida during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The analysis provides a probability of non-exceedence of any given load coefficient. This probability is discussed in the context of ASCE 7 GCp values. The same analysis is applied to data obtained from numerical simulations of the flow over a surface-mounted prism. The objective is to quantify the effects of inflow disturbances on the distribution and probability of nonexceedence of peak wind loads on the roof of the prism.