Peak factors dependence on wind angles of attack for a hyperbolic paraboloid roof

Suspended roofs with hyperbolic-paraboloid shapes are widely used all around the world to cover large span areas. Due to their flexibility and light weight, such structures are very sensitive to wind-induced loads, and thus require an accurate analysis of wind effects even in the preliminary design stage. In this respect, extreme (minimum or maximum) values of wind-induced pressure or suction are needed to evaluate the performance of structural components (cables and membrane) at the local scale. Therefore, for this type of structures, it is important to investigate if the pressure field distribution can be described as Gaussian, with peak factors that can be evaluated using the classical Davenport equation, or if more refined models are required. Previous papers presented the results in terms of pressure coefficient statistics of wind tunnel tests performed by one of the writers on in-scale models of hyperbolic-paraboloid roofs with different geometries. This paper discusses the experimental variability of the peak factors and their dependence on the angle of attack of the wind for the sample case of a square footprint hyperbolic-paraboloid roof.