Wind Pressure and Load Analysis on Large Building Roofs: Applicability of Database-Assisted Design to Eurocode 1 and Italian Standards

Database-assisted design (DAD) methodology has emerged as a powerful approach to estimate structural wind loads, as an alternative to prescriptive design standards for low-rise buildings. The DAD is currently being contemplated as a potential tool for the wind load analysis and design by USA standards (ASCE7-22). This work investigates the applicability of this methodology to an expanded set of design standards; comparisons are primarily carried out examining the design prescriptions of Eurocode 1 and Italian wind design standards. For the sake of completeness, ASCE7-22 is also analyzed. Specifically, mean and peak pressure coefficients, loads and internal forces, and moments at relevant cross-sections of the main wind force resisting systems on large roofs of industrial buildings are considered. The study demonstrates that design code procedures usually yield conservative estimation of the bending moments. However, lower extreme values are on occasion observed, compared to DAD-based predictions, reaffirming the importance of DAD for the structural design against wind hazards.