Assessment of High Buildings Human Comfort Subjected to Wind Actions based on Simplified Design Formulations and a Nondeterministic Dynamic Structural Analysis

Resumo

The requirements for space in major urban centres have driven the development of structural designs for high-rise buildings. Consequently, these structures are more susceptible to wind-induced effects, which may lead to excessive vibrations and occupant discomfort. This way, this investigation aims to evaluate the human comfort levels in a 48-storey steel-concrete composite building with total height of 172.8 m, when subjected to wind loads. The mean and fluctuating wind responses were determined in accordance with the recommendations of the Brazilian standard NBR 6123, considering the wind velocity variations ranging from 5 m/s (18 km/h) to 50 m/s (180 km/h). The numerical model of the building was developed using the Finite Element Method (FEM), implemented through the ANSYS computational software. The assessment of the investigated building human comfort was based on the maximum accelerations values, in time and frequency domain, considering several design standards and simplified formulations, and also a nondeterministic dynamic structural analysis. The investigated scenario allows a general comparative assessment of the results calculated based on the use of simplified formulations and through a nondeterministic structural response. Finally, it must be emphasized that the structural engineers have to be alerted about the relevant quantitative differences associated to the peak accelerations values determined by simplified formulations and based on a traditional nondeterministic dynamic structural analysis.