Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY

Ground Roughness – The nature of the

earth’s surface as influenced by small
scale obstructions such as trees and
buildings (as distinct from topography) is
called ground roughness.
Gust – A positive or negative departure of
wind speed from its mean value, lasting
for not more than, say, 2 minutes with the
peak occurring over a specified interval of
time. For example, 3 second gust wind
speed.
Peak Gust – Peak gust or peak gust speed is
the wind speed associated with the
maximum value.
Fetch Length (X) – Fetch length is the
distance measured along the wind from a
boundary at which a change in the type of
terrain occurs. When the changes in
terrain types are encountered (such as,
the boundary of a town or city, forest,
etc.), the wind profile changes in
character but such changes are gradual
and start at ground level, spreading or
penetrating upwards with increasing fetch
length.
Gradient Height – Gradient height is the
height above the mean ground level at
which the gradient wind blows as a result
of balance among pressure gradient
force, Coriolis force and centrifugal force.
For the purpose of this Code, the
gradient height is taken as the height
above the mean ground level, above
which the variation of wind speed with
height need not be considered.
Interference Factor – Ratio of the value of a
typical response parameter for a
structure due to interference divided by
the corresponding value in the ‘stand
alone’ case.
Mean Ground Level – The mean ground level
is the average horizontal plane of the
area in the close vicinity and immediately
surrounding the structure.
Pressure Coefficient – Pressure coefficient is
the ratio of the difference between the
pressure acting at a point on a surface
and the static pressure of the incident
wind to the design wind pressure, where
the static and design wind pressures are
determined at the height of the point
considered after taking into account the

IITK-GSDMA-Wind02-V5.0 15 IITK-GSDMA-Wind04-V3.0
 Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY
geographical location, terrain conditions
and shielding effect.
NOTE: Positive sign of the pressure coefficient
indicates pressure acting towards the surface
and negative sign indicates pressure acting
away from the surface.
Return Period – Return period is the number
of years, the reciprocal of which gives the
probability of an extreme wind exceeding
a given speed in any one year.
Shielding Effect – Shielding effect or
shielding refers to the condition where
wind has to pass along some structure(s)
or structural element(s) located on the
upstream wind side, before meeting the
structure or structural element under
consideration. A factor called shielding
factor is used to account for such effects
in estimating the force on the shielded
structure(s).
Speed Profile – The variation of the
horizontal component of the atmospheric
wind speed with height above the mean
ground level is termed as speed profile.
Suction – Suction means pressure less than
the atmospheric (static) pressure and is
considered to act away from the surface.
Solidity Ratio – Solidity ratio is equal to the
effective area (projected area of all the
individual elements) of a frame normal to
the wind direction divided by the area
enclosed by the boundary of the frame
normal to the wind direction.
NOTE – Solidity ratio is to be calculated for
individual frames.
Terrain Category – Terrain category means
the characteristics of the surface
irregularities of an area, which arise from
natural or constructed features. The
categories are numbered in increasing
order of roughness.
Topography – The nature of the earth’s
surface as influenced by the hill and
valley configurations in the vicinity of the
existing / proposed structure.

IITK-GSDMA-Wind02-V5.0 16 IITK-GSDMA-Wind04-V3.0
 Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY

4. – GENERAL C4.1 -
For the purpose of this Code wind speed has been
4.1 - considered as that occurring at 10 m height above
Wind is air in motion relative to the surface the general ground level. Several new recording
of the earth. The primary cause of wind is stations have been established in the country by
traced to earth’s rotation and differences in the Indian Meteorological Department over the
terrestrial radiation. The radiation effects are last two decades, the information from which can
mainly responsible for convection current help upgrade the wind zoning map of India.
either upwards or downwards. The wind However, more extensive data are needed to make
generally blows horizontal to the ground at this exercise meaningful.
high speeds. Since vertical components of
atmospheric motion are relatively small, the
term ‘wind’ denotes almost exclusively the
horizontal wind while ‘vertical winds’ are
always identified as such. The wind speeds
are assessed with the aid of anemometers
or anemographs, which are installed at
meteorological observatories at heights
generally varying from 10 to 30 meters
above ground.

4.2 – C4.2 -
Very strong winds are generally associated Several atmospheric phenomena are responsible
with cyclonic storms, thunderstorms, dust for wind storms. Cyclonic storms, that hit some
storms or vigorous monsoons. A feature of of the coastal regions of India, are the most
the cyclonic storms over the Indian region is devastating due to extremely high wind speeds in
that they rapidly weaken after crossing the these storms accompanied by sea surge and
coasts and move as depressions/ lows flooding. These can last several hours. The
inland. The influence of a severe storm after current revised draft has recognized the fact that
striking the coast does not, in general exceed the high wind speeds that occur in cyclones far
about 60 kilometers, though sometimes, it exceed the wind speeds for design given in the
may extend even up to 120 kilometers. Very Code at present, and addresses the problem vis-à-
short duration hurricanes of very high wind vis the 60 km strip in the east coast and the
speeds called Kal Baisaki or Norwesters Gujarat coast by including suitable factors to
occur fairly frequently during summer months enhance the design wind speed, keeping in view
over North East India. the importance of the structure.
Tornados, which are a narrow band phenomenon
of limited time duration, often occur during the
summer, mostly in Northern parts of India.
These, however, have extremely high wind
speeds, often higher than in the severest cyclones.

4.3 – C4.3 -
Higher the intensity of a gust, lower is its
The wind speeds recorded at any locality are
duration. The Code specifies the basic wind
extremely variable and in addition to steady
speed as that of a gust of 3 second duration; or in
wind at any time, there are effects of gusts,
other words, the wind speed averaged over a 3-
which may last for a few seconds. These
second period. The effect of reduction in the
gusts cause increase in air pressure but their
average wind pressure with increase in the area
effect on stability of the building may not be
over which the pressure is considered (the

IITK-GSDMA-Wind02-V5.0 17 IITK-GSDMA-Wind04-V3.0
 Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY
so important; often, gusts affect only part of tributary area) is accounted for by the ‘Area
the building and the increased local Averaging Factor, Ka’ defined in Section 5.4.2. A
pressures may be more than balanced by a maximum reduction of 20% in wind pressures is
momentary reduction in the pressure specified for tributary area beyond 100 m2.
elsewhere. Because of the inertia of the
building, short period gusts may not cause
any appreciable increase in stress in main Contrary to this, one may consider wind effects
components of the building although the over a limited (small) area of the surface. This is
walls, roof sheeting and individual cladding particularly important near the edges and ridge of
units (glass panels) and their supporting a structure or sharp corners elsewhere in a
members such as purlins, sheeting rails and building, where large suctions occur due to
glazing bars may be more seriously affected. separation of flow and generation of eddies. The
Gusts can also be extremely important for area of influence being small, there is better
design of structures with high slenderness correlation within these areas. These local area
ratios. effects are treated elsewhere in the Code.

C4.4 -
4.4 – The dynamic characteristics of a flexible structure
The response of a building to high wind defined by its time period of vibration and
pressures depends not only upon the damping would affect its response to the gustiness
geographical location and proximity of other or turbulence in wind, which itself gets modified
obstructions to airflow but also upon the due to presence of other structures/ obstructions,
characteristics of the structure itself. particularly those in the close vicinity of the
structure. The effect of the latter is difficult to
evaluate and a simplified approach has been
added for limited cases for the first time in the
Code to approximate these so called interference
effects in Section 7.

C4.5 -
4.5 – The pressures created inside a building due to
The effect of wind on the structure as a whole access of wind through openings could be suction
is determined by the combined action of (negative) or pressure (positive) of the same order
external and internal pressures acting upon of intensity while those outside may also vary in
it. In all cases, the calculated wind loads act magnitude with possible reversals. Thus the
normal to the surface to which they apply. design value shall be taken as the algebraic sum
of the two in appropriate/concerned direction.
Furthermore, the external pressures (or forces)
acting on different parts of a framework do not
correlate fully. Hence there is a reduction in the
overall effect. This has been allowed for in clause
6.2.3.13.

C4.6 -
4.6 – The stability of a structure shall be checked both
The stability calculations as a whole shall be with and without the wind loads, as there may be
done with and without the wind loads on reversal of the forces under wind besides a
vertical surfaces, roofs and other parts of the reduced factor of safety considered with the wind
building above average roof level. loads.

IITK-GSDMA-Wind02-V5.0 18 IITK-GSDMA-Wind04-V3.0
 Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY
4.7 – C4.7 -
Buildings shall also be designed with due Comfort of the inhabitants of a tall flexible
attention to the effects of wind on the comfort building can be affected by large wind induced
of people inside and outside the buildings. deflections or accelerations, particularly the latter.
There is no criterion included in this Code for
control on these parameters. Since there is no real
tall building activity yet in India, the problem has
not attained importance. Likewise, at the plaza
level around a tall building, there may be
accentuated flow conditions, particularly if the
building has other similar structures adjacent to it.
Thus the pedestrians at the plaza level can be put
to inconvenience. A wind tunnel model study is
required to determine the flow pattern and to
carryout the design accordingly.

IITK-GSDMA-Wind02-V5.0 19 IITK-GSDMA-Wind04-V3.0
 Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY
5. – WIND SPEED AND
PRESSURE

5.1 - Nature of wind in Atmosphere C5.1 -

In general, wind speed in the atmospheric As is explained in Code, wind speed can be taken
boundary layer increases with height from to comprise of a static (mean) component and a
zero at ground level to a maximum at a fluctuating component, with the magnitude of the
height called the gradient height. There is latter varying with time interval over which the
usually a slight change in direction (Ekman gust is averaged. Thus with reduction in the
effect) but this is ignored in the Code. The averaging time, the fluctuating wind speed would
variation with height depends primarily on the increase. The fluctuating velocity is normally
terrain conditions. However, the wind speed expressed in terms of turbulence intensity which
at any height never remains constant and it is the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean
has been found convenient to resolve its wind speed and is expressed in percentage.
instantaneous magnitude into an average or
mean value and a fluctuating component
around this average value. The average
value depends on the averaging time
employed in analyzing the meteorological
data and this averaging time can be taken to
be from a few seconds to several minutes.
The magnitude of fluctuating component of
the wind speed, which represents the
gustiness of wind, depends on the averaging
time. Smaller the averaging interval, greater
is the magnitude of the wind speed.

5.2 – Basic Wind Speed (Vb) C5.2 -

Figure 1 gives basic wind speed map of Code defines the basic wind speed as the peak
India, as applicable at 10 m height above gust wind speed averaged over a period of 3
mean ground level for different zones of the seconds. It includes both the mean and the
country. Basic wind speed is based on peak fluctuating components of the turbulent wind. To
gust speed averaged over a short time obtain hourly mean wind speed, the 3-second
interval of about 3 seconds and corresponds value may be multiplied by factor 0.65. In the
to 10m height above the mean ground level open terrain category, since wind speed varies
in an open terrain (Category 2). Basic wind with height, ground roughness, local topography
speeds presented in Fig. 1 have been and return period of the storm, besides the region
worked out for a 50-year return period. The of the country, the conditions for which Vb is
basic wind speed for some important defined have been specified in this clause. The
cities/towns is also given in Appendix A. country has been divided into six wind zones and
certain coastal regions affected by cyclonic storms
as defined in clause 5.3.4.

IITK-GSDMA-Wind02-V5.0 20 IITK-GSDMA-Wind04-V3.0
 Code & Commentary IS 875 (Part 3)

CODE COMMENTARY
5.3 –Design Wind Speed (Vz) C5.3 -
The basic wind speed for any site shall be The basic wind speed, Vb corresponds to certain
obtained from Fig. 1 and shall be modified to reference conditions. Hence, to account for
include the following effects to get design various effects governing the design wind speed
wind speed, Vz at any height, Z for the in any terrain condition, modifications in the form
chosen structure: (a) Risk level, (b) Terrain of factors k1, k2, k3, and k4 are specified.

roughness and height of structure, (c) Local

topography, and (d) Importance factor for the
cyclonic region. It can be mathematically
expressed as follows:
Vz = Vb k1 k2 k3 k4,
where
Vz = design wind speed at any height z in
m/s,
k1 = probability factor (risk coefficient) (see
5.3.1),
k2 = terrain roughness and height factor
(see 5.3.2),
k3 = topography factor (see 5.3.3), and
k4 = importance factor for the cyclonic region
(see 5.3.4).

NOTE: The wind speed may be taken as constant upto a

height of 10 m. However, pressures for buildings
less than 10m high may be reduced by 20% for
stability and design of the framing.

5.3.1 – Risk Coefficient (k1) C5.3.1 -

Fig. 1 gives basic wind speeds for terrain The peak wind speed considered for design is
category 2 as applicable at 10 m height based on the probability of occurrence of the
above mean ground level based on 50 years maximum/severest storm over the design life of
mean return period. The suggested life span the structure. It is known that storms of greater
to be assumed in design and the severity are less frequent, that is, such storms
corresponding k1 factors for different class of have a longer return period. Thus for economical
structures for the purpose of design are given design of structures, the design wind speed has
in Table 1. In the design of all buildings and been related to the return-period of storms, with
structures, a regional basic wind speed Vb defined for 50-years return period considering
having a mean return period of 50 years shall the generally acceptable value of probability of
be used except as specified in the note of exceedence as 0.63 for the design wind speed
Table 1. over the life of the structure. This has been termed
as the risk level PN in N consecutive years (Table
–1) and the corresponding value of the risk
coefficient, k1, for N taken as 50 years, would be
1.0. The values of k1 for N taken as 5, 25 and 100
years, and for various zones of the country, are
given in Table-1. The designer may, however, use
a higher value of N or k1, if it is considered
necessary to reduce the risk level of an important
structure.

IITK-GSDMA-Wind02-V5.0 21 IITK-GSDMA-Wind04-V3.0