Cantilever Beam Model for Wind-Induced Vibration in a High-Rise Building

by Heather Holm

Submitted : Fall 2017

The primary objective of this project is to determine whether hurricane-force wind gusts can theoretically compromise a high-rise building in Tampa, Florida. The corresponding free vibration of the structure that resulted from the applied wind load is modeled as the free vibration of a cantilever beam with a lumped mass at the free end. A building’s wind-induced acceleration indicates the comfort and safety of its occupants. That acceleration is calculated with two different approaches to finding the structure’s natural frequency of vibration. The first method is given by ASCE 7-10 standards and is intended for structural steel and concrete buildings. The second method uses a modified Rayleigh Quotient. This research concludes that wind gusts of 200mph induce an acceleration of 0.000007139ft/s² in a theoretical high-rise modeled after Tampa’s GrandView condos. This acceleration is less than the threshold where occupants could perceive motion, less than 0.090ft/s², or where occupants would be endangered, above 1.566ft/s².

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