Correlation structure of wind-tunnel pressure fields for a hyperbolic paraboloid roof

Due to their lightness and deformability, large suspended roofs with hyperbolic-paraboloid shape are very sensitive to loads induced by wind, that must be taken into account since the preliminary design. To this respect, the correlation structure of wind-induced pressure fields plays a relevant role to define load distributions. Although well known and also included in load distributions provided by codes of practice for several kind of structures, this aspect of the wind-induced pressure field has not yet been fully explored for double curvature large surfaces. As a part of a wider research, this paper investigates the correlation structure of the pressure field on a hyperbolic paraboloid roof, based on experimental tests performed in the CRIACIV boundary-layer wind-tunnel in Prato (Italy) on a in-scale model. The aim of the research, still in progress, is to contribute to the optimization of the pressure-taps arrangement on wind tunnel models, according to the statistical significance of a measurement point for the surrounding area, and to contribute to the definition of equivalent design loads.