Document No. :: IITK-GSDMA-Wind02-V5.

0
:: IITK-GSDMA-Wind04-V3.0
Final Report :: B - Wind Codes
IITK-GSDMA Project on Building Codes

IS: 875(Part3): Wind Loads on Buildings

and Structures
-Proposed Draft & Commentary
By

Dr.Prem Krishna
Dr. Krishen Kumar
Dr. N.M. Bhandari
Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Roorkee
• This document has been developed under the project on Building
Codes sponsored by Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority,
Gandhinagar at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
• The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and not
necessarily of the GSDMA, the World Bank, IIT Kanpur, or the
Bureau of Indian Standards.
• Comments and feedbacks may please be forwarded to:
Prof. Sudhir K Jain, Dept. of Civil Engineering, IIT Kanpur,
Kanpur 208016, email: [email protected]
 Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY
Foreword
0.1 This Indian Standard IS:875 (Part 3)
(Third Revision) was adopted by the
Bureau of Indian Standards on
________(Date), after the draft finalized
by the Structural Safety Sectional
Committee had been approved by the
Civil Engineering Division Council.
0.2 A building or a structure in general has to
perform many functions satisfactorily.
Amongst these functions are the utility of
the building or the structure for the
intended use and occupancy, structural
safety, fire safety and compliance with
hygienic, sanitation, ventilation and
daylight standards. The design of the
building is dependent upon the minimum
requirements prescribed for each of the
above functions. The minimum
requirements pertaining to the structural
safety of buildings are being covered in
loading Codes by way of laying down
minimum design loads which have to be
assumed for dead loads, imposed loads,
wind loads and other external loads, the
structure would be required to bear. Strict
conformity to loading standards, it is
hoped, will not only ensure the structural
safety of the buildings and structures,
which are being designed and
constructed in the country and thereby
reduce the risk to life and property
caused by unsafe structures, but also
reduce the wastage caused by assuming
unnecessarily heavy loadings without
proper assessment.
0.3 This standard was first published in 1957
for the guidance of civil engineers,
designers and architects associated with
the planning and design of buildings. It
included the provisions for the basic
design loads (dead loads, live loads,
wind loads and seismic loads) to be
assumed in the design of the buildings. In
its first revision in 1964, the wind
pressure provisions were modified on the
basis of studies of wind phenomenon and
its effect on structures, undertaken by the
special committee in consultation with the
Indian Meteorological Department. In
addition to this, new clauses on wind
loads for butterfly type structures were
included; wind pressure coefficients for

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 Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY
sheeted roofs, both curved and sloping
were modified; seismic load provisions
were deleted (separate Code having
been prepared) and metric system of
weights and measurements was
adopted.
0.3.1 With the increased adoption of this
Code, a number of comments were
received on provisions on live load
values adopted for different
occupancies. Live load surveys have
been carried out in America, Canada,
UK and in India to arrive at realistic live
loads based on actual determination of
loading (movable and immovable) in
different occupancies. Keeping this in
view and other developments in the
field of wind engineering, the Structural
Safety Sectional Committee decided to
prepare the second revision of IS: 875
in the following five parts:
Part 1: Dead loads
Part 2: Imposed loads
Part 3: Wind loads
Part 4: Snow loads
Part 5: Special loads and load
combinations
Earthquake load being covered in a
separate standard, namely,
IS:1893(Part 1)- 2002*, should be
considered along with the above loads.
0.3.2 This part (Part 3) deals with wind loads
to be considered when designing
buildings, structures and components
thereof. In its second revision in 1987,
the following important modifications
were made from those covered in the
1964 version of IS: 875:

*Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures (2002 revision).

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 Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY

(a) The earlier wind pressure maps

(one giving winds of shorter
duration and other excluding winds
of shorter duration) were replaced
by a single wind map giving basic
maximum wind speed in m/s (peak
gust speed averaged over a short
time interval of about 3 seconds
duration). The wind speeds were
worked out for 50 years return
period based on the up-to-date
wind data of 43 dines pressure
tube (DPT) anemograph stations
and study of other related works
available on the subject since
1964. The map and related
recommendations were provided in
the Code with the active
cooperation of Indian
Meteorological Department (IMD).
Isotachs (lines of equal wind
speed) were not given, as in the
opinion of the committee there was
still not enough extensive
meteorological data at close
enough stations in the country to
justify drawing of isotachs.
(b) Modification factors to modify the
basic wind speed to take into
account the effects of terrain, local
topography, size of structures, etc.
were included.
(c) Terrain was classified into four
categories based on characteristics
of the ground surface irregularities.
(d) Force and pressure coefficients
were included for a large range of
clad and unclad buildings and for
individual structural elements.
(e) Force coefficients (drag
coefficients) were given for frames,
lattice towers, walls and hoardings.
(f) The calculation of force on circular
sections was included
incorporating the effects of
Reynolds number and surface
roughness.
(g) The external and internal pressure
coefficients for gable roofs, lean-to
roofs, curved roofs, canopy roofs
(butterfly type structures) and multi-
span roofs were rationalized.

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CODE COMMENTARY
(h) Pressure coefficients were given
for combined roofs, roofs with sky
light, circular silos, cylindrical
elevated structures, grandstands,
etc.
(i) An analysis procedure for
evaluating the dynamic response of
flexible structures under wind
loading using gust response factor
was included.
0.3.3 The Committee responsible for the
revision of wind maps, while reviewing
available meteorological wind data and
response of structures to wind, felt the
paucity of data on which to base wind
maps for Indian conditions on
statistical analysis. The Committee,
therefore, recommended to all
individuals and organizations
responsible for putting-up of tall
structures to provide instrumentation in
their existing and new structures
(transmission towers, chimneys,
cooling towers, buildings, etc.) at
different elevations (at least at two
levels) to continuously measure and
monitor wind data. It was noted that
instruments were required to collect
data on wind direction, wind speed and
structural response of the structure
due to wind (with the help of
accelerometers, strain gauges, etc). It
was also the opinion of the committee
that such instrumentation in tall
structures will not in any way affect or
alter the functional behaviour of such
structures, and the data so collected
will be very valuable in assessing more
accurate wind loading on structures.
0.3.4 It is seen at the time of undertaking the
third revision of this Code (during 2003-
2004) that:
(i) Not much progress has yet been
made in regard to
instrumentation and collection of
data in India as mentioned in
0.3.3 though additional data has
become available through
measurements of wind speed at
the meteorological stations. In
addition there is a need to
address the issue of cyclonic
winds and the damage caused
by these winds.

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CODE COMMENTARY
(ii) There has been a substantial
research effort on determination
of wind effects on buildings and

structures, the world over, during

the past couple of decades, thus
making available additional
information of improved quality.
(iii) A better understanding has
developed concerning peak
suctions/pressures.
(iv) There is a better appreciation
about the randomness that
prevails in the directionality of
wind, and the degree of
correlation amongst pressures
that it causes on a surface.
(v) There is a better understanding
of the significant influence of the
averaging area used on the
pressures evaluated.
(vi) There is an appreciation of the
fact that wind loads on different
parts of the structure are not fully
correlated.
(vii) There is a significant effect
possible on the wind forces in a
building on account of
interference between similar or
dissimilar buildings.
(viii) It is realized that as a result of
the second revision, the
standard produced was on
contemporary lines. Changes
are therefore warranted only
where these would bring about
an improvement in the quality of
the standard.
In carrying out this revision, the above
observations have been taken into
account.
0.4 The Sectional Committee responsible
for the preparation of this Standard has
taken into account the prevailing
practice in regard to Loading Standards
followed in this country by the various
authorities and has also taken note of
the developments in a number of other
countries. In the preparation of this
Code, the following overseas
Standards have also been examined:
(a) BS 6399-2:1997 Loading for

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