Research on the loss of group residential buildings under fierce winds

The prediction and assessment of the loss of group residential buildings under fierce winds are not only an important but also a very basic work. Many rural buildings, especially situated in southeastern of China, have suffered great damage and losses during such wind events in past 10 years. One new methodology is proposed in this study in order to estimate and evaluate the loss reasonably based on group building types and distribution, wind intensities and directions. This methodology comprehensively considers the mechanisms of interaction between the roof tiles, roof panels, doors and windows, which are more likely damaged seriously during fierce winds, the physical properties of those components, the wind pressure coefficients on the surface of group buildings in different wind directions, etc. Then Monte Carlo simulation is used to estimate the damage of group residential buildings under simulated fluctuating winds with different speeds and measured typhoon records. The simulation results indicate that our proposed quantified assessment method can be utilized for official, developers, architects, designers and homeowners to estimate and mitigate the losses that might be experienced during wind-related disasters either pre- or post-construction.