Influence of the vertical angle of attack on building pressures using Quasi-Steady Theory

A preliminary quasi-steady model was built to simulate building pressures using quasi-steady theory with the goal of estimating loads during tornadoes and thunderstorms. This model uses a mean pressure coefficient versus horizontal angle of attack relationship obtained by using more than 600 full-scale records of the Wind Engineering Research Field Laboratory (WERFL) at Texas Tech University. After the model was built, it was compared with full-scale WERFL data to test its accuracy. Pressure taps on the roof were found to be the worst performing based on a root mean squared error. Also, a first assessment of the effects of the vertical angle of attack on building pressures during tornadoes was performed using information from previous publications. Finally, a layout of the future development of the quasi-steady model is presented highlighting the importance of the vertical angle of attack on building pressures. It is expected that, after full quasi-steady model is built, it can be used to further understand the effects of the vertical wind component prevalent in tornadoes and thunderstorms.