Prediction of design typhoon wind speeds and profiles using refined typhoon wind field model

For buildings and structures in typhoon regions, they must be designed to withstand typhoon winds during their design lives. The determination of design typhoon wind speed for a structure within a given design life thus becomes an imperative task. A refined typhoon wind field model considering the influence of temperature and the variation of central pressure difference with height has been recently proposed by the authors. This paper aims to use this refined typhoon wind field model together with the Monte Carlo simulation and the typhoon wind decay model for predicting design typhoon wind speeds and profiles based on 60-year typhoon wind field data recorded by the Hong Kong Observatory. Both directional and non-directional design wind speeds of 50-year return period predicted by the refined typhoon wind field model, the Meng model and the Shapiro model for the Waglan Island of Hong Kong are compared with the statistical ones directly from the wind measurement data recorded by the anemometers installed on the Waglan Island. Averaged mean wind speed profiles at the Waglan Island predicted by the refined typhoon wind field model and the Meng model are also computed and compared with field measurement data available. The results show that the refined typhoon wind field model could predict design typhoon wind speeds and averaged wind profiles satisfactorily.