Do Typhoon Engineers

Adequately Consider
the Dynamic Wind Effects
on Truss-Type Structures?

Benito M. Pacheco, PhD, PE (bmpacheco@vibrametrics.net), and

Ronwaldo E. R. Aquino (ronjie@gmail.com)

Presented at the ASEP Forum on Billboards, December 19, 2006

CONTENTS

Page 2 DMAPS Looking Forward: A Call for Typhoon Engineers

(Executive Summary)
Page 3 Consideration of Dynamic Wind Effects in the Structural Design
and Evaluation of Structures Damaged Due to Typhoon Milenyo

B.M. Pacheco & Ronjie Aquino, Do typhoon engineers adequately consider the dynamic wind effects on truss-
type structures?, ASEP Forum on Billboards, 19 December 2006, Handouts Page 1 of 3
 DMAPS Looking Forward: A Call for Typhoon Engineers
(Executive Summary)
Benito M. Pacheco, PhD, PE (bmpacheco@vibrametrics.net), and
Ronwaldo E. R. Aquino (ronjie@gmail.com)

NOTE: This paper was presented at the 2005 PICE National Convention held in Manila. A
similar paper was presented in front of meteorologists, engineers, and other scientists at the 1st
National Meteorological-Hydrological Convention in 2005.
The strongest earthquakes in the Philippines can kill more people or cause more damage
than the strongest typhoons. However, there is a yearly average of 9 landfalling typhoons in the
Philippines. In fact given this frequent occurrence of typhoons, the sum of all damages, deaths,
and injuries due to typhoons in the past century is much more than the sum of all damages,
deaths, and injuries due to earthquakes also in the past century. Thus, while earthquake
engineering and earthquake-resistant design for structures are very important here in the
Philippines, typhoon engineering and typhoon/wind-resistant design are also very important.
The OCD-NDCC, PAGASA, and Philippine media (newspapers, TV and radio, and the
Internet) were cited as sources of typhoon damage information, which could be used to develop
typhoon disaster maps, and typhoon vulnerability maps. Such maps could aid engineers,
scientists, and government agencies in typhoon disaster mitigation and preparedness efforts.
Many lessons learned from the review of the history of wind speed maps could be used in
updating the current wind zone map in the NSCP-2001. Possible studies to improve the NSCP
wind loading provisions were then identified, including correction of raw meteorological data
from PAGASA. The paper also recognizes many different completed research studies by
PAGASA in the areas of typhoon disaster mitigation in general.
Recent developments in international wind loading codes could be used as guidance
when updating the NSCP. This includes: (a) use of wind speed contour map or hybrid
zone/contour wind map, (b) simplified procedure for regular, low-rise buildings, (c) gust effect
factor formulations for considering dynamic wind effects, (d) across-wind and/or torsional
response of buildings and similar structures, and (e) Monte-carlo simulation of
typhoons/hurricanes for additional data in coming up with better extreme wind speed estimates
and wind directionality factors.
The paper also suggests some other related future studies and activities to improve
typhoon disaster mitigation and preparedness efforts in general, and in wind design in particular.
The paper recommends designers to use the NSCP-2001 instead of earlier versions, as some new
features in the NSCP-2001 are not yet accounted for in previous versions, including
consideration of dynamic wind effects, consideration of topographic effects, and having the most
up-to-date extreme wind speed estimates and wind zoning.
With such comprehensive information available to engineers, the paper then made a call
for more typhoon engineers. Certainly, collaboration between ASEP/PICE engineers and
PAGASA scientists is also necessary.

B.M. Pacheco & Ronjie Aquino, Do typhoon engineers adequately consider the dynamic wind effects on truss-
type structures?, ASEP Forum on Billboards, 19 December 2006, Handouts Page 2 of 3
Consideration of Dynamic Wind Effects in the Structural Design and Evaluation of
Structures Damaged by Typhoon Milenyo
Ronwaldo E. R. Aquino (ronjie@gmail.com), and
Benito M. Pacheco, PhD, PE (bmpacheco@vibrametrics.net)

In September 2006, Typhoon Milenyo struck the Philippines and damaged many trussed
structures (e.g. billboards), and pole-type structures (e.g. electrical transmission posts), whose
base aspect ratios 1 are typically greater than four (4). These structures are currently being
designed with dynamic wind effects neglected (rigid design), although the NSCP-2001 requires
to account for dynamic wind effects, or to use a flexible-structure gust effect factor (GEF), for
structures with such aspect ratios (flexible design). This flexible-structure GEF should be
appropriate for the structure, and compatible with the NSCP. This is a new requirement in the
NSCP-2001 that was not yet included in previous versions (e.g. NSCP-1992); i.e. the NSCP-
1992 and earlier versions use a rigid design.
However, such GEF formulations are not readily available from other literature or from
the NSCP itself.
A thesis study started by the first author in 2005 and completed in 20062 addressed this
issue specifically for trussed towers (such as antenna towers and transmission towers) by first
establishing guidelines that were used to select from among seven (7) formulations in literature
(e.g. from American, Japanese, and Australian/New Zealand codes and standards). Although
other formulations with further modification could be used, the formulation based on that in the
ASCE Manual No. 743 after some modifications was selected for use in trussed tower design.
There is also no readily available information on important input parameters such as the
dynamic properties (natural frequency, structural damping, aerodynamic damping, mode shape)
of such structures in the Philippines.
Estimates of dynamic properties for trussed towers were thus also suggested in the same
study based on available measurement data. The estimates show that trussed towers could have
low damping, and thus, the GEF and corresponding wind loads in the flexible design are
significantly larger than in the rigid design, even for those with natural frequencies greater than 1
Hz. In the end, a flexible design was recommended by the study for all towers in the Philippines.
Considering these findings for trussed towers, a flexible design may also be necessary for
other structures like billboards, pole-type structures, and slender buildings. Thus, a flexible
design procedure for different types of vertical structures, such as trussed towers, billboard
structures, pole-type structures, and slender buildings outlined in a supplementary material to the
NSCP-2001 is necessary.
Example GEF calculations for different trussed towers, billboards, and pole-type
structures show a very significant increase from the rigid design to the flexible design wind
loads, and a significant increase in terms of combined loads (e.g. dead plus wind loads).

1
Base aspect ratio is ratio of height to base width.
2
Also presented at the 2006 PICE National Convention in Iloilo City as a paper entitled Dynamic wind
loading of trussed towers: proposed supplementary material to the NSCP-01.
3
ASCE, 1991, Guidelines for electrical transmission line structural loading.
B.M. Pacheco & Ronjie Aquino, Do typhoon engineers adequately consider the dynamic wind effects on truss-
type structures?, ASEP Forum on Billboards, 19 December 2006, Handouts Page 3 of 3