AS 4055—1992

Australian StandardR

Wind loads for housing

Accessed by BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED on 10 Jun 2005
 This Australian Standard was prepared by Committee BD/6, Loading on Structures. It was
approved on behalf of the Council of Standards Australia on 16 July 1992 and published on
14 September 1992.

The following interests are represented on Committee BD/6:

Association of Consulting Engineers, Australia
Association of Consulting Structural Engineers, Australia
AUBRCC
Australian Clay Brick Association
Australian Construction Services, Department of Administrative Services
Australian Council of Local Government Associations
Australian Federation of Construction Contractors
Australian Institute of Steel Construction
Australian Mining Industry Council
AUSTROADS
Building Management Authority, W.A.
Bureau of Meteorology
Bureau of Steel Manufacturers of Australia
Division of Building, Construction and Engineering, CSIRO
Electricity Supply Association of Australia
Engineering and Water Supply Department, S.A.
James Cook University of North Queensland
Master Builders Construction and Housing Association, Australia
Monash University
Public Works Department, N.S.W.
Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia
University of Melbourne
University of Newcastle
Additional interests participating in preparation of Standard:
Accessed by BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED on 10 Jun 2005

Road Construction Authority, Vic.

University of Sydney
University of Western Australia

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This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 90168.

 AS 4055—1992

Australian StandardR

Wind loads for housing

First published as AS 4055—1992.

Incorporating:
Amdt 1—1994
Accessed by BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED on 10 Jun 2005

PUBLISHED BY STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

(STANDARDS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA)
1 THE CRESCENT, HOMEBUSH, NSW 2140
ISBN 0 7262 7706 1
 PREFACE
This Standard was prepared by the Standards Australia Committee for Loading on Structures.
This Standard is intended to be used for the determination of wind speeds and wind loads for
housing only. It provides a number of design and performance criteria relating to housing
construction as they may be applied by manufacturers and designers.
Wind speeds are specified for the serviceability and ultimate strength/stability limit states,
and for permissible stress design.

CONTENTS
Page
1 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 APPLICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4 DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
5 NOTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
6 LIMITATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
7 WIND CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
8 TERRAIN CATEGORY CLASSIFICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
9 SHIELDING CLASSIFICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
10 TOPOGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
11 RACKING FORCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
12 UPLIFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
APPENDICES
A DERIVATION OF TABLE 1 — WIND CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM . . . . . 13
B PRESSURE COEFFICIENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
C SPACING OF BRACING WALLS FOR HOUSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
D WORKED EXAMPLE FOR THE CALCULATION OF
TOPOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
E WORKED EXAMPLES FOR THE SELECTION OF
TERRAIN CATEGORY AND SHIELDING CLASSIFICATION . . . . . . . . . 19
F WORKED EXAMPLES FOR RACKING FORCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
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E Copyright — STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

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 3 AS 4055—1992

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

Australian Standard
Wind loads for housing

1 SCOPE This Standard sets out data and procedures for determining design wind speeds and wind
loads for housing.
Alternatively, design wind speeds and wind loads for housing may be obtained using AS 1170.2.

2 APPLICATION This Standard is intended to apply to housing and its components, including roofs
and other housing surfaces with the limitations specified in Clause 6.

3 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS The following documents are referred to in this Standard.

AS
1170 SAA Loading Code
1170.1 Part 1: Dead and live loads and load combinations
1170.2 Part 2: Wind loads
AUBRCC
BCA Building Code of Australia

4 DEFINITIONS For the purpose of this Standard, the definitions below apply.
4.1 Average slope — slope measured by averaging the steepest slope and the least slope through the top
half of the hill, ridge or escarpment.
4.2 Bottom of hill, ridge or escarpment — area at the base of the hill, ridge or escarpment, where the
average slope is less than 1 in 20.
4.3 Height — distance from ground level to the underside of eaves or to the highest point of the roof
neglecting chimneys; or height of each storey at external walls (see Figure 1).
4.4 House — Class 1 or 10 building as defined by the Building Code of Australia with the geometric
limitations specified in Clause 6.
4.5 Length — maximum distance from wall to wall of a house or shape (see Figure 1).
4.6 Plan — basic rectangular, square or L-shaped layout or simple combinations of these (see Figure 1).
4.7 Racking forces — forces which occur in walls parallel to the wind direction.
4.8 Width — maximum distance from wall to wall in the direction perpendicular to the length, including
roofed verandahs but excluding eaves (see Figure 1).

5 NOTATION Unless otherwise stated, the notation used in this Standard shall have the following
meaning:
Cp,e = external pressure coefficient
Cp,i = internal pressure coefficient
Cp,n = net pressure coefficient
d = average horizontal distance measured from the crest of the escarpment to the near
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top-third zone
G = dead load
H = height of a hill, ridge or escarpment
h = height of a house above ground level
Kl = local pressure factor
L = length of a house; or lower part of a hill, ridge or escarpment
Ms = shielding multiplier
Mt = topographic multiplier
Mh,cat = terrain category multiplier at height h
Vh = maximum design gust wind speed at height h
Vh,p = maximum design gust wind speed at height h for permissible stress method
Vh,s = maximum design gust wind speed at height h for serviceability limit state
Vh,u = maximum design gust wind speed at height h for ultimate strength limit state
W = width of a house
α = angle of roof pitch
φa = average slope measured by averaging the steepest slope and the least slope through the
top half of the hill, ridge or escarpment

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 AS 4055—1992 4

6 LIMITATIONS For the purpose of this Standard, the following conditions shall apply:
(a) The distance from ground level to the underside of eaves shall not exceed 6.0 m; from ground level
to the highest point of the roof, neglecting chimneys, shall not exceed 8.5 m; and, within each storey,
the distance at external walls between the finished floor level and ceiling level shall not exceed
2.7 m.
(b) The width (W), including roofed verandahs but excluding eaves, shall not exceed 16.0 m, and the
length (L) shall not exceed five times the width.
(c) The roof pitch shall not exceed 35°.
NOTE: Where houses do not comply with the limitations of this Clause, use AS 1170.2.
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 5 AS 4055—1992

7 WIND CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM A rationalized ten-band wind classification system N1, N2,
N3, N4, N5, N6 for non-cyclonic Regions A and B, and C1, C2, C3 and C4 for cyclonic Regions C and D
shall be considered.
The system includes the combinations of regions, terrain categories, shielding of housing and topographic
effects given in Table 1.
NOTE: An approximate 50% increase in wind pressures occurs from one classification to the next higher one, i.e. N1 to N2, N2
to N3, ....

TABLE 1
WIND CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
Wind classification
Topographic classification
Terrain
Region T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
category
FS PS NS FS PS NS FS PS NS FS PS NS FS PS NS
TC 3 N1 N1 N2 N1 N2 N2 N2 N3 N3 N3 N3 N3 N3 N4 N4
TC 2.5 N1 N2 N2 N2 N3 N3 N2 N3 N3 N3 N4 N4 N3 N4 N4
A
TC 2 N2 N2 N3 N3 N3 N3 N3 N3 N4 N3 N4 N4 N4 N5 N5
TC 1 N3 N3 N3 N3 N4 N4 N4 N4 N4 N4 N5 N5 N5 N5 N6
TC 3 N2 N2 N3 N2 N3 N3 N3 N3 N4 N3 N4 N4 N4 N4 N5
TC 2.5 N2 N3 N3 N3 N3 N4 N3 N4 N4 N4 N4 N5 N4 N5 N5
B
TC 2 N3 N3 N3 N3 N4 N4 N4 N4 N5 N4 N5 N5 N5 N5 N6
TC 1 N3 N4 N4 N4 N5 N5 N4 N5 N5 N5 N6 N6 N6 N6 N/A
TC 3 C1 C1 C2 C2 C2 C2 C2 C2 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C4 C4
C TC 2.5 C1 C2 C2 C2 C2 C3 C2 C3 C3 C3 C4 C4 C3 C4 C4
TC 1, TC 2 C2 C2 C2 C2 C3 C3 C3 C3 C4 C3 C4 C4 C4 N/A N/A
TC 3 C2 C2 C3 C2 C3 C3 C3 C4 C4 C4 C4 N/A C4 N/A N/A
D TC 2.5 C2 C3 C3 C3 C3 C4 C3 C4 C4 C4 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
TC 1, TC 2 C3 C3 C3 C3 C4 C4 C4 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
LEGEND:
FS = full shielding
PS = partial shielding
NS = no shielding
N = non-cyclonic
C = cyclonic
N/A = not applicable, i.e. beyond the scope of this Standard (use AS 1170.2)
NOTE TO TABLE 1: For derivation of the Table, see Appendix A.

The following shall be considered when determining the wind classification for a housing site:
(a) The geographic region of the site: Region A, B, C or D (see Figure 2).
(b) The terrain category classification that surrounds or is likely to surround the site within the next
5 years: TC 1, TC 2, TC 2.5 or TC 3 (see Clause 8).
(c) The shielding classification of the house: FS, PS or NS (see Clause 9).
(d) The topographic classification of the site: T1, T2, T3, T4 or T5 (see Clause 10).
The maximum design gust wind speeds (V h) for the relevant wind classification system are given in
Table 2.
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TABLE 2
MAXIMUM DESIGN GUST WIND SPEED (V h) AT HEIGHT h
Wind Maximum design gust wind speed (Vh)
classification m/s
Serviceability Permissible Ultimate
Regions Regions
limit state stress method limit state
A and B C and D
(Vh,s) (Vh,p) (Vh,u)
N1 N/A 26 28 34
N2 N/A 26 33 40
N3 C1 32 41 50
N4 C2 39 50 61
N5 C3 47 60 74
N6 C4 55 70 86

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 AS 4055—1992 6
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FIGURE 2 BOUNDARIES OF REGIONS A, B, C AND D

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 7 AS 4055—1992

8 TERRAIN CATEGORY CLASSIFICATION The terrain category classification for a housing site is
a measure of the lowest effective surface roughness from any radial direction within a distance of 500 m of
the proposed housing site and shall be based on the likely terrain five years hence.
The terrain category classification for houses shall be assigned on the basis of the following category
descriptions:
(a) Terrain Category 1 (TC 1): exposed open terrain with few or no obstructions. This condition
exists only for isolated houses in flat, treeless, poorly-grassed plains
of at least 10 km width. This category is more applicable for water
surfaces for serviceability design.
(b) Terrain Category 2 (TC 2): open terrain including sea coast areas, airfields, grassland with few
well-scattered obstructions, such as isolated trees and uncut grass,
having heights from 1.5 m to 10.0 m.
(c) Terrain Category 2.5 (TC 2.5): terrain with a few trees, isolated obstructions, such as agricultural
land, canefields or long grass, up to 600 mm high. This category is
intermediate between TC 2 and TC 3 and represents the terrain in
developing outer urban areas.
(d) Terrain Category 3 (TC 3): terrain with numerous closely-spaced obstructions having the size of
houses. The minimum density of houses and trees, except for Regions
C and D, shall be the equivalent of 10 house-size obstructions per
hectare. Substantial well-established trees shall be considered as
obstructions except in Regions C and D where a maximum of TC 2.5
applies for the equivalent of 10 house-size obstructions per hectare.
In urban situations, roads, rivers or canals less than 200 m wide shall be considered to form part of normal
‘Terrain Category 3’ terrain. Parks and other open spaces less than 250 000 m 2 in area shall also be
considered to form part of normal ‘Terrain Category 3’ terrain provided they are not within 500 m of each
other, or not within 500 m of open country. Housing sites less than 200 m from the boundaries of open areas
larger than these, e.g. golf courses, that are completely surrounded by urban terrain, shall be considered to
have the terrain category applicable to the open area itself. Shielding provisions may still apply to these sites.
Housing sites less than 500 m from the edge of a development shall be classified as the applicable terrain
which adjoins the development, i.e. TC 1, TC 2, TC 2.5 or TC 3 as applicable.
NOTE: For worked examples, see Appendix E.

9 SHIELDING CLASSIFICATION Shielding shall be considered because of the local effect where the
wind speed on a house is influenced by obstructions of similar size to the house and shall be based upon the
likely shielding five years hence.
The shielding classification for houses shall be assessed on the basis of the following shielding descriptions:
(a) Full shielding (FS) — where at least two rows of houses or similar size permanent obstructions surround
the house being considered. In Regions A and B, heavily-wooded areas provide full shielding.
The application of full shielding shall be appropriate for typical suburban development greater than or
equal to 10 houses or similar size obstructions per hectare.
The effects of roads or other open areas with a distance measured in any direction of less than 100 m
shall be ignored. However, the first two rows of houses abutting permanent open areas with a least
dimension of greater than 100 m, such as parklands, large expanses of water and airfields, shall be
considered to have either partial shielding or no shielding.
(b) Partial shielding (PS) — shall apply to intermediate situations where there are at least 2.5 houses, trees
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or sheds per hectare, such as acreage type suburban development or wooded parkland. In Regions C and
D, heavily-wooded areas shall be considered to have partial shielding.
(c) No shielding (NS) — where there are no permanent obstructions or where there are less than 2.5
obstructions per hectare, such as the first two rows of houses or single houses abutting open parklands,
open water or airfields.
NOTE: For worked examples, see Appendix E.

10 TOPOGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATION The topographic classification determines the effect of wind

on a house because of its location on a hill, ridge or escarpment and the average slope of the hill, ridge or
escarpment.
NOTES:
1 The method is suitable for the purpose of either mapping the wind classifications of an area or assessing the wind classification
of an individual site.
2 A method is provided for selecting the topographic classification T1, T2, T3, T4 or T5 for a housing site.
3 For worked example to determine topographic classification, see Appendix D.
The topographic classification T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 for houses shall be derived from Table 3 and Figure 3.
Topographic classification T1 shall apply to all hills, ridges and escarpments if —
(a) for hills of any height, the average slope is less than 1 in 10; and

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 AS 4055—1992 8

(b) for the various average slopes, the height of the hill, ridge or escarpment is less than —
25 m for a slope less than or equal to 1 in 7.5;
20 m for a slope less than or equal to 1 in 5; or
15 m for a slope less than or equal to 1 in 3.

TABLE 3
TOPOGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATION FOR HILLS, RIDGES OR ESCARPMENTS
Site location
Average slope Over-top
Lower-third Mid-third Top-third
(φa) (O)
(L) (M) (N)
(for escarpment only)
<1:10 T1 T1 T1 T1
≥1:10 <1:7.5 T1 T1 T2 T1
≥1:7.5 <1:5 T1 T1 T3 T1
≥1:5 <1:3 T1 T2 T4 T2
≥1:3 T1 T3 T5 T3
NOTES TO TABLE 3:
1 An escarpment has one average slope less than 1 in 20 and another average slope greater than 1 in 10.
2 The location of the site on a hill, ridge or escarpment is as shown in Figure 3.
3 The average slope (φa) is the slope measured by averaging the steepest slope and the least slope through the top half of the hill,
ridge or escarpment.
The average slope will not often occur at the actual proposed housing site and should be appraised by considering the adjacent
topography (see Appendix D for the calculation of topography).
4 The top-third zone extends for an equal distance, d, either side of the crest of an escarpment as shown in Figure 3.
The distance d is the average horizontal distance measured from the crest of the escarpment to the near top-third zone.
5 The over-top zone of an escarpment is considered to extend to a distance of 5H past the crest of an escarpment.
6 The bottom of a hill, ridge or escarpment is that area at the base of the hill, ridge or escarpment where the average slope is less
than 1 in 20, e.g. creek, river valley or flat area.
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11 RACKING FORCES Racking forces occur in walls parallel to the wind direction and shall be
calculated from the horizontal component of wind blowing on the external envelope of the house and resisted
by bracing walls. For wind classification N2, the permissible stress racking forces on houses including roofs
are given in Tables 4(a) to 4(f).
For other wind classifications or limit states, the racking forces shall be calculated by multiplying the loads
in Tables 4(a) to 4(f) by the factors given in Table 5.
NOTES:
1 For intermediate values of Tables 4(a) to 4(f), linear interpolation is permitted.
2 For derivation of Tables 4(a) to 4(f), see Appendix B.
3 For worked examples, see Appendix F.

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 9 AS 4055—1992

TABLE 4(a)
RACKING FORCES FOR WIND CLASSIFICATION N2 IN
PERMISSIBLE STRESS SINGLE STOREY OR UPPER STOREY OF HOUSE
(WIND NORMAL TO RIDGE)
Horizontal load per metre of house length
kN/m
Width
(W)
Roof pitch (α)
degrees

m 0 5 10 15 17.5 20 25 30 35
≤4 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.6 1.7
5 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.5 1.7 1.8
6 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.5 1.8 2.0
7 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.7 2.0 2.2
8 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.8 2.1 2.4
9 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.9 2.2 2.6
10 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.5 2.1 2.3 2.7
11 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.6 2.2 2.4 2.9
12 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.7 2.3 2.6 3.1
13 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.5 1.8 2.4 2.7 3.3
14 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.6 1.9 2.6 2.9 3.5
15 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.7 2.0 2.7 3.0 3.7
16 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.7 2.1 2.8 3.2 3.9
NOTE: Shaded figures apply only to single-story houses.

TABLES 4(b)
RACKING FORCES FOR WIND CLASSIFICATION N2 IN
PERMISSIBLE STRESS LOWER STOREY OF TWO-STOREY HOUSE
(WIND NORMAL TO RIDGE)
Horizontal load per metre of house length
kN/m
Width
(W)
Roof pitch (α)
degrees

m 0 5 10 15 17.5 20 25 30 35
≤4 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.7 3.9 4.0
5 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.8 4.1 4.2
6 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.9 4.2 4.3
7 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.4 4.0 4.3 4.5
8 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.5 4.1 4.4 4.7
9 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.6 4.3 4.5 —
10 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.7 4.4 — —
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11 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.8 4.5 — —

12 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.6 — —
13 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.6 4.0 — — —
14 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.5 3.7 4.1 — — —
15 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.5 3.8 4.3 — — —
16 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.6 3.9 — — — —

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 AS 4055—1992 10

TABLE 4(c)
RACKING FORCES FOR WIND CLASSIFICATION N2 IN
PERMISSIBLE STRESS SINGLE STOREY OR UPPER STOREY OF HOUSE
(WIND PARALLEL TO RIDGE OF HIP-ROOF HOUSE)
Total horizontal load on house
kN
Width
(W)
Roof pitch (α)
degrees

m 0 5 10 15 17.5 20 25 30 35
≤4 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.4 4.9 5.1 5.7
5 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.9 5.3 5.7 6.4 6.8 7.6
6 6.0 5.8 5.7 6.1 6.6 7.1 8.0 8.5 9.6
7 7.1 6.8 6.8 7.3 7.9 8.6 9.8 10.5 11.9
8 8.2 7.9 7.8 8.5 9.3 10.2 11.6 12.5 14.3
9 9.6 9.2 9.2 10.0 10.9 12.1 13.8 14.9 17.0
10 11.0 10.6 10.6 11.5 12.6 14.0 16.1 17.3 19.8
11 12.4 12.0 11.9 13.1 14.3 15.9 18.3 19.8 22.7
12 13.8 13.3 13.3 14.6 16.1 17.9 20.7 22.3 25.8
13 15.2 14.7 14.7 16.2 17.8 20.0 23.2 25.26 29.3
14 16.6 16.0 16.0 17.0 19.7 22.2 25.9 28.2 32.9
15 18.0 17.4 17.4 19.5 21.6 24.4 28.7 31.4 36.7
16 19.4 18.7 18.8 21.1 23.6 26.8 31.6 34.6 40.7
NOTE: Shaded figures apply only to single-storey houses.

TABLE 4(d)
RACKING FORCES FOR WIND CLASSIFICATION N2 IN
PERMISSIBLE STRESS LOWER STOREY OF TWO-STOREY HOUSE
(WIND PARALLEL TO RIDGE OF HIP-ROOF HOUSE)
Total horizontal load on house
kN
Width
(W)
Roof pitch (α)
degrees

m 0 5 10 15 17.5 20 25 30 35
≤4 10.8 10.7 10.6 10.8 11.1 11.4 11.9 12.1 12.7
5 14.1 13.9 13.8 14.1 14.5 14.9 15.6 15.9 16.7
6 17.3 17.1 17.1 17.4 17.9 18.5 19.3 19.8 20.9
7 20.6 20.3 20.3 20.8 21.4 22.1 23.2 23.9 25.3
8 23.8 23.6 23.5 24.2 24.9 25.8 27.2 28.1 29.8
9 28.0 27.7 27.6 28.4 29.3 30.4 32.2 33.1 —
10 32.1 31.8 31.7 32.7 33.7 35.1 37.1 — —
11 36.3 35.9 35.8 36.9 38.2 39.8 42.1 — —
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12 40.4 40.0 39.9 41.2 42.7 44.5 47.2 — —

13 44.6 44.1 44.0 45.5 47.2 49.3 — — —
14 48.7 48.2 48.2 49.9 51.8 54.2 — — —
15 52.9 52.3 52.3 54.3 56.5 59.2 — — —
16 57.0 56.4 56.4 58.7 61.2 — — — —

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 11 AS 4055—1992

TABLE 4(e)
RACKING FORCES FOR WIND CLASSIFICATION N2 IN
PERMISSIBLE STRESS SINGLE STOREY OF UPPER STOREY OF HOUSE
(WIND PARALLEL TO RIDGE OF GABLE-ROOF HOUSE)
Total horizontal load on house
kN
Width
(W)
Roof pitch (α)
degrees

m 0 5 10 15 17.5 20 25 30 35
≤4 3.7 4.0 4.2 4.5 4.6 4.7 5.0 5.3 5.7
5 4.8 5.2 5.6 6.0 6.2 6.4 6.8 7.3 7.9
6 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.6 7.9 8.2 8.8 9.5 10.4
7 7.1 7.8 8.5 9.3 9.7 10.1 11.0 12.0 13.1
8 8.2 9.1 10.1 11.1 11.6 12.2 13.3 14.6 16.0
9 9.6 10.8 12.1 13.4 14.1 14.8 16.3 18.0 19.8
10 11.2 12.5 14.2 15.8 16.7 17.6 19.5 21.6 24.0
11 12.4 14.3 16.3 18.4 19.5 20.6 23.0 25.6 28.5
12 13.8 16.1 18.6 21.1 22.4 23.8 26.6 29.8 33.2
13 15.2 18.0 20.9 23.9 25.5 27.1 30.5 34.2 36.4
14 16.6 19.9 23.3 26.8 28.7 30.6 34.6 38.9 43.8
15 18.0 21.8 25.8 29.9 32.0 34.2 38.8 43.9 49.5
16 19.4 23.8 28.4 33.1 35.5 38.0 43.3 49.1 55.6
NOTE: Shaded figures apply only to single-storey houses.

TABLE 4(f)
RACKING FORCES FOR WIND CLASSIFICATION N2 IN PERMISSIBLE STRESS
LOWER STOREY OF TWO-STOREY HOUSE
(WIND PARALLEL TO RIDGE OF HIP-ROOF HOUSE)
Total horizontal load on house
kN
Width
(W)
Roof pitch (α)
degrees

m 0 5 10 15 17.5 20 25 30 35
≤4 10.8 11.0 11.3 11.5 11.6 11.8 12.0 12.3 12.7
5 14.1 14.4 14.8 15.2 15.4 15.6 16.0 16.5 17.0
6 17.3 17.8 18.4 18.9 19.2 19.5 20.1 20.8 21.6
7 20.6 21.3 22.0 22.8 23.2 23.6 24.4 25.4 26.4
8 23.8 24.8 25.7 26.7 27.3 27.8 28.9 30.2 31.5
9 28.0 29.2 30.5 31.8 32.5 33.2 34.7 36.3 —
10 32.1 33.7 35.3 37.0 37.8 38.7 40.6 — —
11 36.3 38.2 40.2 42.3 43.3 44.5 46.8 — —
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12 40.4 42.8 45.2 47.7 49.0 50.3 53.2 — —

13 44.6 47.4 50.3 53.2 54.8 56.4 — — —
14 48.7 52.0 55.4 58.9 60.7 62.6 — — —
15 52.9 56.7 60.6 64.7 66.8 69.0 — — —
16 57.0 61.4 66.0 70.6 73.0 — — — —

TABLE 5
MULTIPLYING FACTORS FOR RACKING FORCES
Wind classification Multiplying factor to Tables 4(a) to 4(f)
Regions Regions Serviceability Permissible Ultimate strength
A and B C and D limit state stress limit state
N1 — 0.62 0.72 1.06
N2 — 0.62 1.00 1.47
N3 C1 0.94 1.54 2.30
N4 C2 1.40 2.30 3.42
N5 C3 2.03 3.30 5.03
N6 C4 2.78 4.50 6.79

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 AS 4055—1992 12

12 UPLIFT Net design uplift pressures given in Table 6 shall be applied for the determination of
anchoring requirements at tops of walls.

TABLE 6
NET DESIGN UPLIFT PRESSURES
Net design uplift pressure, kPa
Serviceability Permissible Ultimate strength
Wind limit state stress method limit state
Classification Roof type
Sheet roof Sheet roof Sheet roof
Tile roof Tile roof Tile roof
(see Note 4) (see Note 4) (see Note 4)
N1 0.00 0.05 0.00 0.22 0.04 0.44
N2 0.00 0.05 0.00 0.42 0.34 0.74
N3 0.00 0.28 0.44 0.81 0.93 1.33
N4 0.10 0.60 0.98 1.35 1.74 2.14
N5 0.56 1.06 1.71 2.08 2.89 3.29
N6 1.10 1.60 2.56 2.93 4.16 4.56
C1 0.08 0.58 0.94 1.31 1.68 2.08
C2 0.60 1.06 1.73 2.10 2.85 3.25
C3 1.22 1.72 2.79 3.16 4.54 4.94
C4 2.00 2.50 4.03 4.40 6.38 6.78
NOTES:
1 The net design uplift pressures given in Table 6 are based on the following load combinations:
(a) Serviceability limit state : Ws — G
(b) Permissible stress method : Wp — 0.75 G
(c) Ultimate strength limit state : Wu — 0.8 G
2 Ws, Wp and Wu are derived from:

where Vh = Vh,s, Vh,p or Vh,u as appropriate.

3 G = 0.90 kPa for tile roof
G = 0.40 kPa for sheet roof
4 Sheet roof includes metal tile roof.
5 For derivation of Table 6, see Appendix B.
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 13 AS 4055—1992

APPENDIX A

DERIVATION OF TABLE 1 — WIND CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

(Informative)

The terrain category multipliers (M h,cat) for houses are given in Table A1 and are used to derive Table 1.
For the purpose of this Standard, h is taken as 8.5 m.

TABLE A1
TERRAIN CATEGORY MULTIPLIER (M h,cat) AT HEIGHT h
Terrain category multiplier (Mh,cat)
Region Terrain Terrain Terrain Terrain
Category 1 Category 2 Category 2.5 Category 3
A 1.06 0.92 0.84 0.76
B 1.06 0.92 0.84 0.76
C 0.96 0.96 0.88 0.82
D 0.96 0.96 0.88 0.82

The shielding multipliers (M s) for houses are given in Table A2 and are used to derive Table 1.

TABLE A2
SHIELDING MULTIPLIER (M s)
Shielding classification Shielding multiplier (M s)
Full shielding (FS) 0.85
Partial shielding (PS) 0.95
No shielding (NS) 1.00

The topographic multipliers (Mt) for housing sites are given in Table A3 and are used to derive Table 1.

TABLE A3
TOPOGRAPHIC MULTIPLIER (M t)
Topographic classification Topographic multiplier (Mt)
T1 1.0
T2 1.15
T3 1.25
T4 1.4
T5 1.55
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 AS 4055—1992 14

APPENDIX B

PRESSURE COEFFICIENT
(Informative)

B1 INTRODUCTION The pressure coefficients given in Tables B1 and B2 are used to derive
Tables 4(a) to 4(f) and Table 6. Tables B1 and B2 should also apply for the design of houses when using
AS 1170.2. In these Tables, the sign of the net pressure coefficient refers to the external surface, for
example, in Table B1, the Cp,n value of -1.1 means uplift on the roof.

B2 WIND CLASSIFICATIONS N1 TO N6 The following pressure coefficients for houses with wind
classifications N1 to N6 (in Regions A and B) should be used:
(a) Internal pressure coefficients —
strength and serviceability: Cp,i = 0.2 or −0.3
(b) Net pressure coefficients —
strength: (see Table B1)

TABLE B1
PRESSURE COEFFICIENTS FOR WIND CLASSIFICATIONS N1 TO N6
(REGIONS A AND B)
Factored external Internal Net
pressure pressure pressure
Housing component coefficient coefficient coefficient
(Cp,e.Kl) (Cp,i) (Cp,n)
Roof:
(a) General, including all trusses and rafters −0.9 0.2 −1.1
+0.4 −0.3 +0.7
(b) Cladding, fasteners and immediate
supporting members within 1200 mm of −1.8 0.2 −2.0
edges, e.g. battens and purlins
Walls:
(a) General, including all studs 0.7 −0.3 1.0
(b) Cladding, fasteners and corner windows −1.3 0.2 −1.5
within 1200 mm of edges

B3 WIND CLASSIFICATIONS C1 TO C4 The following pressure coefficients for houses with wind
classifications C1 to C4 (in Regions C and D) should be used:
(a) Internal pressure coefficients —
strength: Cp,i = 0.7 or −0.65
serviceability: Cp,i = 0.2 or −0.3
(b) Net pressure coefficients —
strength: (see Table B2)
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TABLE B2
PRESSURE COEFFICIENTS FOR WIND CLASSIFICATIONS C1 TO C4
(REGIONS C AND D)
Factored external Internal Net
pressure pressure pressure
Housing component
coefficient coefficient coefficient
(Cp,e.Kl) (Cp,i) (Cp,n)
Roof:
(a) General, including all trusses and rafters −0.9 0.7 −1.6
+0.4 −0.65 +1.05
(b) Cladding, fasteners and immediate
supporting members within 1200 mm of −1.8 0.7 -2.5
edges, e.g. battens and purlins
Walls:
(a) General, including all studs −0.65 0.7 −1.35
(b) Cladding, fasteners and corner windows −1.3 0.7 -2.0
within 1200 mm of edges

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 15 AS 4055—1992

APPENDIX C

SPACING OF BRACING WALLS FOR HOUSES

(Informative)

The application of Tables 4(a) to 4(f) to single storey or upper storeys of houses (gable or hip roof) for
ceiling design where the ceiling acts as a diaphragm to transfer forces between bracing walls, e.g.
conventional, continuous, horizontal or raked ceiling, should conform to the following —
(a) the principles of engineering mechanics, in association with appropriate test data; or
(b) Tables C1 and C2 with the maximum bracing-wall spacing not to exceed 9.0 m.
The maximum spacing of bracing walls for single or upper storey houses is obtained by determining the
equivalent Classification N2 wall spacing from Table C1, then adjusting for the wind classification in
Table C2. After the application of Table C2, the maximum bracing-wall spacings for houses should not
exceed 9.0 m.

TABLE C1
MAXIMUM BRACING-WALL SPACING FOR SINGLE STOREY OR
UPPER STOREYS OF HOUSES FOR WIND CLASSIFICATION N2
Maximum bracing-wall spacing
Width m
(W) Roof pitch (α)
degrees
m 0 5 10 15 17.5 20 25 30 35
≤4 9.1 10.1 11.4 11.6 10.7 9.9 7.8 6.7 6.4
5 11.4 12.7 14.3 14.5 13.2 12.1 9.3 7.7 7.2
6 13.7 15.3 16.9 17.1 15.2 13.5 10.3 8.6 7.9
7 16.0 18.3 19.9 19.4 16.8 14.7 10.9 9.4 8.5
8 18.3 20.9 22.3 21.7 18.1 15.5 11.7 10.3 8.8
9 20.5 23.6 25.3 24.0 19.6 16.5 12.2 11.1 9.1
10 22.8 26.2 27.7 26.1 20.7 17.1 12.9 12.1 9.6
11 25.1 29.0 30.5 27.9 21.7 17.8 13.4 12.1 9.8
12 27.4 31.8 33.2 28.7 22.3 18.3 13.8 12.2 10.1
13 29.7 34.9 36.5 29.5 23.0 18.9 14.2 12.4 10.1
14 31.9 38.0 39.1 30.1 23.5 19.1 14.3 12.7 10.3
15 34.4 41.6 42.5 31.0 24.0 19.7 14.7 12.9 10.4
16 36.5 44.3 45.6 31.6 24.5 19.9 15.2 13.2 10.6
NOTES:
1 Shaded figures apply only to bracing-wall spacings 9.0 m maximum for Classification N2 applications.
2 For intermediate values of Table C1, linear interpolation is permitted.
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TABLE C2
MULTIPLYING FACTORS TO TABLE C1
Wind classification
Multiplying factor
Regions Regions to Table C1
A and B C and D
N1 — 1.39
N2 — 1.00
N3 C1 0.65
N4 C2 0.43
N5 C3 0.30
N6 C4 0.22

For the lower storey of a two-storey house, the spacing of bracing walls should not exceed 9.0 m.
For Classification N4, N5, N6, C2, C3 and C4 houses, overturning should be considered for —
(a) all Classification N4 and C2 houses where overall height-to-depth ratio exceeds 1.33; and
(b) all Classification N5, N6, C3 and C4 houses.
Bracing walls should be reasonably evenly spaced including at or near the end of the house.

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 AS 4055—1992 16

Structural bracing walls should constitute at least 50% of the required bracing strength for two-storey
houses or at least 40% for single-storey houses.
The required remaining bracing walls may be obtained by nominal bracing walls, i.e. —
(i) wall frames lined with sheet materials including plywood, plasterboard, fibre-cement sheeting,
hardboard or the like, with sheeting secured in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications but not
necessarily structural bracing walls; or
(ii) internal masonry walls at least 90 mm thick and nominally fixed to the ceiling or roof.
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 17 AS 4055—1992

APPENDIX D

WORKED EXAMPLE FOR THE CALCULATION OF TOPOGRAPHY

(Informative)

In order to illustrate how to determine the appropriate topographic classification, the following example
is provided, which relates to Figure D1.
Step 1 Identify the top of the hill: RL 110 m.
Step 2 Identify the bottom of the hill: RL 40 m (RL of creek).

Step 3 Calculate the mid-height of the hill: = RL 75 m.

Step 4 Identify the steepest and least slope in the top half of the hill:

Least slope = = 0.10

Steepest slope = = 0.27

Step 5 Calculate average slope: = 0.185

which relates to a slope of 1 in 5.4 (i.e. 1/0.185 = 5.4).

Step 6 Identify the location of the house. If the house at site A is located in the mid-third of the hill,
the topographic classification for an average slope of 1 in 5.4 is T1 (see Table 3).
As the house at site B is in closer proximity to the peak of hill 1 than hill 2, the topographic
effect of hill 1 is considered to predominate. Therefore, if the house at site B is located in the
near top-third of the hill, the topographic classification for an average slope of 1 in 5.4 is T3
(see Table 3).
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 AS 4055—1992 18

FIGURE D1 DETERMINATION OF TOPOGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATION

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 19 AS 4055—1992

APPENDIX E

WORKED EXAMPLES FOR THE SELECTION OF

TERRAIN CATEGORY AND SHIELDING CLASSIFICATION
(Informative)

The typical surface roughness types encountered in an urban area are represented in Table E1 which is
provided to assist in the selection of terrain category and shielding classification of particular sites.
In conjunction with deriving the correct topographic classification from Table 3, the terrain category and
shielding classification selected from Table E1 are applied to Table 1 for the appropriate geographic region
to determine the rationalized wind classification for the design of houses or structures.
The following examples are provided to clarify the use of Table E1.
Example A
As the house at location A is sited more than 500 m from the open sea and surrounded for a distance of
more than 500 m by a minimum surface roughness of greater than 10 houses per hectare except for a
small park of less than 500 m in width, the terrain category classification of the site is TC 3.
If the house is located within the first two rows of houses adjacent to the park, no shielding is provided
by this open space.
Example B
The house at location B is within a residential subdivision but immediately adjoins a large acreage
subdivision.
As the least surface roughness for a distance of 500 m in any direction of the site is between 10 and 2.5
houses per hectare, the terrain category classification at location B is TC 2.5.
As the site immediately abuts a large acreage subdivision with a surface roughness of between 10 and 2.5
houses per hectare, only partial shielding is provided.
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 AS 4055—1992 20

TABLE E1
TERRAIN CATEGORY AND SHIELDING CLASSIFICATION CHART FOR REGIONS A AND B
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 21 AS 4055—1992

APPENDIX F

WORKED EXAMPLES FOR RACKING FORCES

(Informative)

The following example, using permissible stress design, illustrates the method of determining
racking forces on a two storey house located in Region B, Terrain Category 2.5, having partial
shielding and a Topographic Classification T2.
For the example, assume that the house is 16 m long, 8 m wide and has a 17.5° pitched, gable-end
roof.
Step 1 From Table 1, for Region B, TC 2.5, T2, PS, the wind classification is N3.
From Table 5, the racking force multiplier for wind classification N3 is 1.54.
Step 2 Calculate the upper storey racking for wind normal to ridge.
From Table 4(a), for W = 8 m and α = 17.5°, the horizontal load is 1.2 kN/m for wind
classification N2.
Convert to wind classification N3: 1.2 × 1.54 = 1.85 kN/m.
Total racking force on upper storey: 1.85 × 16 = 29.6 kN.
Step 3 Calculate lower storey racking for wind normal to ridge.
From Table 4(b), for W = 8 m and α = 17.5°, the horizontal load is 3.4 kN for wind
classification N2.
Convert to wind classification N3: 3.4 × 1.54 = 5.24 kN/m.
Total racking force on lower storey: 5.24 × 16 = 83.8 kN.
Step 4 Calculate the upper storey racking for wind parallel to ridge.
From Table 4(e), for W = 8 m and α = 17.5°, the total horizontal load is 11.6 kN for wind
classification N2.
Convert to wind classification N3: 11.6 × 1.54 = 17.9 kN.
Total racking force on upper storey: 17.9 kN.
Step 5 Calculate lower storey racking for wind parallel to ridge.
From Table 4(f), for W = 8 m and α = 17.5°, the total horizontal load is 27.3 kN for wind
classification N2.
Convert to wind classification N3: 27.3 × 1.54 = 42.0 kN.
Total racking force on lower storey: 42.0 kN.
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Accessed by BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED on 10 Jun 2005