An improved method for the prediction of extreme values of wind effects on simple buildings and structures

Abstract Cook and Mayne have recently devised a new method for predicting wind loads on simple structures. This method utilises corrections obtained from Monte Carlo simulations. The present paper has two principal objectives. The first of these is to present a fuller statement of the physical assumptions upon which the method proposed by Cook and Mayne is based, and to demonstrate that it provides a suitable basis for the calculation of wind effects on simple structures, and can be extended to some cases which Cook and Mayne did not consider. Secondly, by invoking some results of the theory of extreme-value statistics, the writer aims to provide a rigorous theoretical background to Cook and Mayne's calculation method, which leads to an improved approach in which the need for Monte Carlo corrections is eliminated.