FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES

Civil Engineering
CIVL5668: FUNDAMENTALS OF WIND ENGINEERING FOR DESIGN
Semester 1, 2012 | 6 Credit Points | Mode: Normal-Day
Coordinator(s): Graeme Wood, John Patterson
WARNING: This unit is an archived version! See Overview tab for delivered versions.
1. INTRODUCTION
Objectives:
This unit of study will introduce the fundamentals of meteorology governing wind flow, details of extreme wind
events, wind structure, statistical distribution of the wind, the effect of topography and terrain changes on wind
profile, investigate the fluid flow around bluff bodies, and detail the design of civil engineering structures for
wind loading.
Outcomes:
This Unit will provide students with the following knowledge and skills:
On completion of this course students will have an understanding of the governing principles of wind
engineering, how to predict the extreme wind speed and analyse anemographs, predict the effect of terrain and
topography on velocity and turbulence, understand flow patterns around bodies, how to predict the pressure
distribution and wind loading on bodies and structures, dynamic response of structures, and how all the above
relates to AS1170.2.
2. LEARNING OUTCOMES
Learning outcomes are the key abilities and knowledge that will be assessed in this unit. See assessment
summary table below for details of which outcomes are assessed where. Outcomes are listed according to the
course goals that they support.
Design (Level 5)
1. Estimate and predict the flow patterns, pressure distribution, and wind loading around bodies
Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 4)
2. An understanding of the importance of wind loading in engineering
3. An appreciation of the structural response to dynamic wind loading
4. Understand how the fundamentals relate to Standards Australia
5. An understanding of basic meteorology, storm types, historic wind data, and anemographs
6. An appreciation of the influence of terrain and topography on wind velocity and turbulence profiles
Communication (Level 3)
7. Ability to prepare written reports
For further details of course goals related to these learning outcomes, see online unit outline at
http://cusp.eng.usyd.edu.au/students/view-unit-page/alpha/CIVL5668 .
3. ASSESSMENT TASKS
ASSESSMENT SUMMARY
Assessment name Team-based? Weight Due Outcomes Assessed
Assignment No 60% Multiple Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Final Exam No 40% Exam Period 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION
Assignment: Students will be expected to submit solutions to a number of problems throughout the course.
Constructive feedback will be given for individual assignments.
Final Exam: An examination at the end of the semester. The exam questions will require both calculations and
discursive answers, to test understanding of the subject. The final examination is open book. More details on the
format of the examination will be given in lectures, and the nature of the examination described above is subject
to change.
ASSESSMENT GRADING
Final grades in this unit are awarded at levels of HD (High Distinction), D (Distinction), CR (Credit), P (Pass) and
F (Fail) as defined by University of Sydney Assessment Policy. Details of the Assessment Policy are available on
the Policies website at http://sydney.edu.au/policies . Standards for grades in individual assessment tasks and the
summative method for obtaining a final mark in the unit will be set out in a marking guide supplied by the unit
coordinator.
4. ATTRIBUTES DEVELOPED
CIVL5668: Fundamentals of Wind Engineering for Design (Semester 1, 2012)
Attributes listed here represent the course goals designated for this unit. The list below describes how these
attributes are developed through practice in the unit. See Learning Outcomes and Assessment sections above for
details of how these attributes are assessed.
Attribute Method
Design (Level 5) Assignments will develop creative thinking within engineering and
feedback should stimulate self-reflection.
Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level
4)
The course will provide practical wind engineering fundamentals for
engineering purposes through a variety of examples, concepts, and
calculations.
Information Seeking (Level 3) Students will receive data in a variety of forms and will use a range of
tools and resources to solve problems.
Communication (Level 3) Communication skills are developed by having a series of assignments
leading to a final report.
Professional Conduct (Level 3) Ethical, social and professional understanding is considered by
including relevant, topical and modern examples in the syllabus, while
covering important historical developments.
For further details of course goals and professional attribute standards, see the online version of this outline at
http://cusp.eng.usyd.edu.au/students/view-unit-page/alpha/CIVL5668 .
5. STUDY COMMITMENT
3-hr combined lecture and tutorial per week
6. TEACHING STAFF AND CONTACT DETAILS
COORDINATOR(S)
Name Room Phone Email Contact note
Dr Wood, Graeme g.wood@usyd.edu.au
Professor Patterson, John john.patterson@sydney.edu.au
7. RESOURCES
PRESCRIBED TEXTBOOK(S)
Australian New Zealand Standard, Structural Design Actions Part 2: Wind Actions. Standards Australia,
Australian New Zealand Standard, Structural Design Action wind actions commentary (supplement to AS/NZS
1170.2:2002). Standards Australia,
RECOMMENDED REFERENCES
Cook, N.J., The designers guide to wind loading of building structures, Part 1: Background, damage survey,
wind data and structural classification. Butterworth, 1985.
Cook, N.J., The designers guide to wind loading of building structures, Part 2: Static Structures. Butterworth,
1985.
Lawson, T.V., Wind effects on buildings, Vol. 1 Design Applications. Applied Science Publishers, 1980.
Simiu, E. and Scanlan, R.H., Wind effects on structures. John Wiley and sons, 1986.
Melbourne, W.H., Wind Engineering Course Notes. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Monash
University, 1997.
Kwok, K.C.S., Wind induced vibrations of structures, Chapter 6, Structures subjected to dynamic loading,
stability and strength. Elsevier Applied Science, 1991.
Holmes, J.D., Wind Loading of Structures. Spon Press, 2001.
NOTE ON RESOURCES
Engineering Science Data Units series Wind Engineering (on-line)
8. ENROLMENT REQUIREMENTS
ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE
None.
PREREQUISITES
None.
9. POLICIES
CIVL5668: Fundamentals of Wind Engineering for Design (Semester 1, 2012)
Policies regarding academic honesty and plagiarism, special consideration and appeals in the Faculty of
Engineering and Information Technologies can be found on the Faculty's policy page at
http://www.eng.usyd.edu.au/policies. Faculty policies are governed by Academic Board resolutions whose details
can be found on the Central Policy Online site at http://www.usyd.edu.au/policy/.
Policies regarding assessment formatting, submission methods, late submission penalties and assessment
feedback depend on the unit of study. Details of these policies, where applicable, should be found above with
other assessment details.
10. WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Note that the "Weeks" referred to in this Schedule are those of the official university semester calendar
https://web.timetable.usyd.edu.au/calendar.jsp
Week Topics/Activities
Week 1 Basic Meteorology: Introduction, general weather patterns, how wind is developed, prediction
of wind from isobaric charts.
Week 2 Storm types and structure: Description and structure of various wind types (synoptic,
cyclones, thunderstorms, tornadoes, shamals etc.) near the ground.
Week 3 Analysis of historic wind speed data: Probability distributions, parent and extreme value
predictions.
Week 4 Flow over topography: The effect of hills and escarpments on the wind speed and turbulence
profiles.
Week 5 Changes in terrain: The effect of changes in terrain roughness on the wind speed and
turbulence profiles.
Week 6 Australian Standards: How the above topics are incorporated into design standards for use
in Australia.
Week 7 Flow patterns: Introduction, definition of bluff bodies, streamlines, separation, pressure
distribution, vortex shedding, and effects of turbulence and surface roughness.
Week 8 Mean forces on prisms
Week 9 Framed structures: Wind loading on framed and lattice structures.
Week 10 Theory of vibration: Single-degree of freedom systems, damping, response of structures to
dynamic loading.
Week 11 Along-wind response of structures: Techniques for estimating the dynamic response of
structures in the along-wind direction.
Week 12 Cross-wind response of structures: Techniques for estimating the dynamic response of
structures in the cross-wind direction.
Week 13 Australian Standards: How the above topics are incorporated into design standards for use
in Australia.
Exam Period Assessment Due: Final Exam
CIVL5668: Fundamentals of Wind Engineering for Design (Semester 1, 2012)