ABSTRACT
This chapter first considers the aerodynamic aspects of wind flow over large roofs, which will facilitate an understanding of the steady and fluctuating components of wind pressures that act on these structures. Effective static load distribution method is a particularly appropriate method for large roofs, over which the pressure fluctuations are not strongly correlated. When applying the effective static wind-load distribution approach to large roofs, usually a limited number of load effects are considered and effective static load distributions are computed for them. Most codes and standards do not include the effects of resonant response on large roofs, although the Australian Standard AS/NZS1170.2 is an exception as it contains a design load distribution which is dependent on natural frequency. The chapter has attempted to cover the main aspects of wind loads on large roofs, including those used for sports stadiums. The characteristics of airflow and mean pressure distributions on flat, arched and domed roofs are discussed.
