• Wind and Structures
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.287-302
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• 1998

This paper formulates a probabilistic model which is able to represent the maximum instantaneous wind velocity. Unlike the classical methods, where the randomness is circumscribed within the mean maximum component, this model relies also on the randomness of the maximum value of the turbulent fluctuation. The application of the FOSM method furnishes the first and second statistical moments in closed form. The comparison between the results herein obtained and those supplied by classical methods points out the central role of the turbulence intensity. Its importance is exalted when extending the analysis from the wind velocity to the wind pressure.