To assign wind loads to a cylindrical tower consisting of plate elements.

Process:

Let us consider a cylindrical tower constituting plate elements as shown below:

In STAAD.Pro Wind Load using the “Wind Load Definition” can be applied only on a Frame Structure. Therefore, it is not possible in STAAD.Pro to assign the wind load to a plate system using the ‘Wind Load Definitions’. A simple way to assign wind load in such a situation is as follows:

At first, click on GENERAL > LOAD in the left pane and the ‘Load’ window appears.

In the ‘Load’ window, click on ‘Load Cases Details’ and then on ‘Add’. The ‘Add New: Load Cases’ window comes up:

Provide a name to the load case under ‘Title’ and click on ‘Add’ & ‘Close’.

Click on the specified load case title under ‘Load Cases Details’ and click on ‘Add’. The ‘Add New: Load Items’ window comes up:

Click on ‘Plate Loads’ in the left pane of ‘Add New: Load Items’ window and click on ‘Hydrostatic’. A new window comes up:

Click on ‘Select Plate(s)’ and then a ‘Selected Items(s)’ window appear. Drag the window to one side of the screen so that the model can be seen properly to select the appropriate plates.

View the model from top (view from +Y) and select the left or right side plates of the tower by the plate cursor as shown depending on from which direction the wind will blow. Click on ‘Done’ in the ‘Selected Items(s)’ window.

Again, the ‘Add New: Load Items’ window comes up. Under ‘Hydrostatic’ specification box, perform the following tasks:

1] Specify the value of W1 (Min Global Axis) as 0.0. Specify the value of W2 Max Global Axis) as ‘3.0’ (supposing 3.0lb/ft2 will be the wind intensity to which the top of the tower will be subjected to).

2] Check on ‘Interpolate along Global Axis’ as ‘Y’ and ‘Direction of pressure’ as ‘GX’.

Then click on ‘Add’ and ‘Close’. The wind load will then be assigned.