GUST LOADING FACTORS WITH NONLINEAR PRESSURE TERMS

An analytical method is proposed to calculate an expression of the gust loading factor taking into account the nonlinear fluctuation pressure terms, for elastic structures with N degrees-of-freedom, loaded by a random wind. In this method, the Fourier transform technique of the probability law and the Edgeworth's series are used. A numerical example shows the influence of nonlinearity in the presence of resonant amplification effects. /Author/