The Gust Wind Speed Duration In AS/NZS 1170.2

Abstract This paper discusses the rationale behind the redefinition of the design gust speed in the Australian/New Zealand Standard for Wind Actions, AS/NZS 1170.2, as one with a duration of 0.2 seconds, based on a moving average of that time. The origin of the basic gust in the Australian Standards since 1971, from the Dines anemometer, is discussed, and the relative response of that anemometer to gusts is compared with the current recording system based on cup anemometers, with digital processing including a moving average filter. The cup anemometers in the automatic weather stations (AWS), with the associated 3-second digital averaging, that have replaced the Dines in Australia, since the early 1990s, are shown to significantly attenuate the high frequency wind fluctuations, and hence record lower gust wind speeds. The correction factors provided in the paper for the post-1990 gusts should be applied by writers of future editions of the standard wishing to use AWS data. It should be noted that users of the standard will not be affected by the redefinition as there will be no changes to either the wind speeds or the shape factors.