Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY
Buildings, Part 2: Code of Practice
for Wind loads.
(b) AS/NZS1170.2: 2002 Structural
Design Actions-Part 2: Wind
Actions.
(c) ASCE 7-02 American Society of
Civil Engineers: Minimum Design
Loads for Buildings and Other
Structures.
(d) National Building Code of Canada
1995.
(e) Architectural Institute of Japan
Recommendations for Loads on
Buildings, 1996.
Wind Resistant Design Regulations, A
World List. Association for Science
Documents Information, Tokyo.
0.5 For the purpose of deciding whether a
particular requirement of this Standard
is complied with, the final value,
observed or calculated, expressing the
result of a test or analysis, shall be
rounded off in accordance with IS:2-
1960*. The number of significant
places retained in the rounded off
value should be the same as that of
the specified value in this Standard.

*Rules for Rounding-off Numerical Values (Revised).

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 Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY
1. – Scope
1.1 - C1.1 –
This Standard gives wind forces and their This Code provides information on wind effects
effects (static and dynamic) that should be for buildings and structures, and their
taken into account while designing buildings, components. Structures such as chimneys, cooling
structures and components thereof. towers, transmission line towers and bridges are
outside the scope of this Code. There are Indian
Standards dealing with chimneys and cooling
towers separately. Information on bridges (only
static forces) is given in IRS and IRC
Specifications. For aerodynamics of bridges,
specialist literature may be consulted. With
substantial work being done worldwide in the area
of wind engineering, there is growing body of
new information. The user of this Code is advised
to consult specialist literature for the design of
large or important projects involving various
types of structures.
1.1.1– C1.1.1 –
Wind causes a random time-dependent load, Wind is not a steady phenomena due to natural
which can be seen as a mean plus a turbulence and gustiness present in it. However,
fluctuating component. Strictly speaking all when averaged over a sufficiently long time
structures will experience dynamic duration (from a few minutes to an hour), a mean
oscillations due to the fluctuating component component of wind speed can be defined which
(gustiness) of wind. In short rigid structures would produce a static force on a structure.
these oscillations are insignificant, and Superimposed on the mean/static component is
therefore can be satisfactorily treated as the time varying component having multiple
having an equivalent static pressure. This is frequencies spread over a wide band.
the approach taken by most Codes and
Standards, as is also the case in this
Standard. A structure may be deemed to be
short and rigid if its natural time period is less
than one second. The more flexible systems
such as tall buildings undergo a dynamic
response to the gustiness of wind. Methods
for computing the dynamic effect of wind on
buildings have been introduced in this
Standard.
Apart from tall buildings there are several
other structural forms (though outside the
scope of this Standard) such as tall latticed
towers, chimneys, guyed masts that need to
be examined for aerodynamic effects.
1.1.2 – C1.1.2 –
This Code also applies to buildings or other The construction period of a structure is much
structures during erection/ construction and smaller than its expected life. Therefore, a smaller
the same shall be considered carefully during return period of 5 to 10 years or longer may be
various stages of erection/construction. In considered for arriving at the design factor (factor
locations where the strongest winds and icing k1) for construction stages/period of a structure
may occur simultaneously, loads on
structural members, cables and ropes shall depending on its importance. In snowfall areas
be calculated by assuming an ice covering where icing occurs, wind loads have to be

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CODE COMMENTARY
based on climatic and local experience. assessed accordingly. Elements such as cables and
ropes can undergo a dynamic response in such
cases and have to be examined accordingly.

1.1.3–
In the design of special structures, such as C1.1.3 – See C1.1
chimneys, overhead transmission line towers,
etc., specific requirements as given in the
respective Codes shall be adopted in
conjunction with the provisions of this Code
as far as they are applicable. Some of the
Indian Standards available for the design of
special structures are:
IS: 4998 (Part 1) –1992 Criteria for design of
reinforced concrete chimneys: Part 1 -
Design Criteria (first revision)
IS:6533 –1989 Code of practice for design
and construction of steel chimneys
IS:5613 (Part 1/Sec 1)- 1985 Code of
practice for design, installation and
maintenance of overhead power lines:
Part 1 Lines up to and including 11 kV,
Section 1 Design
IS:802 (Part 1)-1995 Code of practice for use
of structural steel in overhead
transmission line towers: Part 1 Loads
and permissible stresses (second
revision)
IS:11504-1985 Criteria for structural design
of reinforced concrete natural draught
cooling towers
NOTE: 1 – This standard IS:875 (Part 3)-1987
does not apply to buildings or structures with
unconventional shapes, unusual locations,
and abnormal environmental conditions that
have not been covered in this Code. Special
investigations are necessary in such cases to
establish wind loads and their effects. Wind
tunnel studies may also be required in such
situations.
NOTE: 2 – In the case of tall structures with
unsymmetrical geometry, the designs ought
to be checked for torsional effects due to wind
pressure.

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CODE COMMENTARY
2. – Notations
2.1–
The following notations shall be followed
unless otherwise specified in relevant
clauses. Notions have been defined in the
text at their first appearance. A few of the
notations have more than one definition,
having been used for denoting different
variables :
A= Surface area of a structure or
part of a structure
Ae = Effective frontal area
Az = Frontal contributory area at
height z
b= Breadth of a structure or
structural member normal to the
wind stream in the horizontal
plane
Bs =
B Background factor
CD = Drag coefficient
CL = Lift coefficient
Cf = Force coefficient
Cfn = Normal force coefficient
Cft = Transverse force coefficient
C′f = Frictional drag coefficient
Cdyn = Dynamic response factor
Cp = Pressure coefficient
Cpe = External pressure coefficient
Cpi = Internal pressure coefficient
Cfs = Cross-wind force spectrum
coefficient
d= Depth of a structure or
structural member parallel to
wind stream in the horizontal
plane
D= Diameter of cylinder or sphere;
Depth of structure
E= Wind energy factor
f0 = First mode natural frequency of
vibration
F= Force on a surface
Fn = Normal force
Ft = Transverse force
F′= Frictional force

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gR = Peak factor for resonant
response
Notations have been defined also in the text at
gv = Peak factor for upwind velocity their first appearance. A few of the notations have
fluctuations more than one definition, having been used for
h= Height of structure above mean denoting different parameters.
ground level
hx = Height of development of a
speed profile at distance x
downwind from a change in
terrain category
hp = Height of parapet
Hs = Height factor for resonant
response
Ih = Turbulence intensity
IF Interference factor
k= Mode shape power exponent
k1
k2 Wind speed multiplication
k3 factors
k4
K= Force coefficient multiplication
factor for members of finite
length
Ka = Area averaging factor
Kc = Combination factor
Kd = Wind directionality factor
Km = Mode shape correction factor
l= Length of a member or greater
horizontal dimension of a
building
L= Actual length of upwind slope
Le= Effective length of upwind slope
Lh = Integral turbulence length scale
N= Reduced frequency
pd = Design wind pressure
pz = Wind pressure at height z
pe = External wind pressure
pi = Internal wind pressure
Re = Reynolds number
S= Size reduction factor
Sr = Strouhal number
T= Fundamental time period of
vibration
Vb = Regional basic wind speed
Vh = Design wind speed at height h
Vz = Design wind speed at height z

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Vz = Hourly mean wind speed at
height z
W= Lesser horizontal dimension of
a building in plan, or in the
cross-section a structural
member;
W′ = Bay width in a multi-bay
building;
We = Equivalent cross-wind static
force
X= Distance downwind from a
change in terrain category;
fetch length
Z= Height above average ground
level
α= Inclination of roof to the
horizontal plane
β= Effective solidity ratio; Damping
ratio
ε= Average height of surface
roughness
φ= Solidity ratio
η= Shielding factor or eddy
shedding frequency
θ= Wind direction in plan from a
given axis; upwind ground / hill
slope

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CODE COMMENTARY
3. – Terminology
For the purpose of this Code, the following
definitions shall apply.
Angle of Attack / Incidence (α) - Angle in
vertical plane between the direction of
wind and a reference axis of the
structure.
Breadth (b) – Breadth means horizontal
dimension of the building measured
normal to the direction of wind.
Depth (D) – Depth means the horizontal
dimension of the building measured in
the direction of the wind.
Note – Breadth and depth are dimensions
measured in relation to the direction of wind,
whereas length and width are dimensions related to
the plan.

Developed Height – Developed height is the

height of upward penetration of the wind
speed profile in a new terrain. At large
fetch lengths, such penetration reaches
the gradient height, above which the wind
speed may be taken to be constant. At
lesser fetch lengths, a wind speed profile
of a smaller height but similar to that of
the fully developed profile of the terrain
category has to be taken, with the
additional provision that wind speed at
the top of this shorter profile equals that
of the unpenetrated earlier profile at that
height.
Effective Frontal Area (Ae) – The projected
area of the structure normal to the
direction of the wind.
Element of Surface Area – The area of
surface over which the pressure
coefficient is taken to be constant.
Force Coefficient (Cf) - A non-dimensional
coefficient such that the total wind force
on a body is the product of the force
coefficient, the dynamic pressure due to
the incident design wind speed and the
reference area over which the force is
required.
NOTE – When the force is in the
direction of the incident wind, the non-
dimensional coefficient will be called as
drag coefficient (CD). When the force is
perpendicular to the direction of incident
wind, the non-dimensional coefficient will
be called as lift coefficient (CL).

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