ISO Standard To Ensure Structures Are Not ‘Gone With The Wind

A new International Standard – ISO 4354 Wind Actions on Structures – will help ensure the reliability of structures in areas exposed to strong winds and cyclones.

The standard describes the actions of wind on structures, and specifies methods for calculating characteristic values of wind loads.

“Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of ISO 4354 is that it allows you to bridge the gaps of all wind loading codes around the world,” said Professor William Melbourne, convenor of the working group that developed the standard. “The standard provides methodology for calculating wind loads on structures, some of which have never been available in this form before. It cancels and replaces the first edition of the standard, originally published in 1997, with a full technical revision.”

The standard covers design methodologies for three main storm types – synoptic winds (large scale winds), thunderstorms and topical cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons). It provides the basic methods for determining wind loading analytically for simple structures and guidance for the design of more complex structures.

ISO 4354 will be useful for structural engineers involved in the design of buildings, towers, chimneys, bridges and other structures, and their components and appendages. The standard will be of particular interest for countries without an adequate wind loading standard.

Because wind is just one of the elements to be considered when designing structures, in addition to, for example, the weight of the structure, load of occupants or seismic actions, ISO 4354 is also intended as a bridge between existing ISO International Standards dealing with the subject.

This standard can therefore be used in conjunction with ISO 2394, (ITALS)General principles on reliability for structures as well as other ISO International Standards on design of structures.

ISO 4354, Wind actions on structures was prepared by the ISO technical committee ISO/TC 98, Bases for design of structures subcommittee SC 3, Loads, forces and other actions. The standard is available from ISO national member institutes. Visit www.iso.org for more details.