Wind loads for high-solidity open-frame structures

Open frame structures, such as those commonly found in industrial process facilities, are often densely occupied with process related equipment. This paper presents a method for estimating wind loads for high-solidity open frame structures that differs from current approaches, which accumulate wind load contributions from various individual structure components. The method considers the structure as a porous block of arbitrary plan dimension that is subject to wind from any direction. The proposed method compares favorably with wind tunnel test results for similar structures. The possibility of defining an upper bound force coefficient is also discussed.