Full-scale measurements are regarded as the most reliable method to evaluate wind effects on large buildings and structures. Some selected results are presented in this paper from the full-scale measurement of wind effects on a long-span steel roof structure during the passage of Typhoon Fanapi. Some fi eld data, including wind speed and direction, acceleration responses, etc., were continuously and simultaneously recorded during the passage of the typhoon. Comprehensive analysis of the measured data is conducted to evaluate the typhoon-generated wind characteristics and its effects on a long-span steel roof. The fi rst four natural frequencies and their vibration mode shapes of the Guangzhou International Sports Arena (GISA) roof are evaluated by the stochastic subspace identifi cation (SSI) method and comparisons with those from fi nite element (FE) analysis are made. Meanwhile, damping ratios of the roof are also identifi ed by the SSI method and compared with those identifi ed by the random decrement method; the amplitude-dependent damping behaviors are also discussed. The fullscale measurement results are further compared with the corresponding wind tunnel test results to evaluate its reliability. The results obtained from this study are valuable for academic and professional engineers involved in the design of large-span roof structures.

A wind tunnel test was conducted for a large steel gymnasium structure. Simultaneous pressure measurements were made on its entire ellipsoidal roof in a simulated suburban boundary layer flow field. Special attention is paid to the characteristics of fluctuating wind pressures in different zones on the roof. Some selected results are presented: 1) correlations between fluctuating wind pressures on both roof surfaces, 2) eigenvalues and eigenvectors of covariance matrices of the fluctuating wind pressures, 3) probability distributions of the fluctuating wind pressures, and 4) statistical characteristics of peak factor. Furthermore, the applicability of the quasi-steady approach is discussed in detail. Based on the results, an empirical formula for estimating the minimum pressure coefficients, using a peak factor approach, is presented. Comparison of the minimum pressure coefficients determined by the proposed formula and those obtained from the wind tunnel tests is made to examine the applicability and accuracy of the proposed formula.

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