Response to students' questions on NSCP 2010 wind loading provisions

These are actually in the comments, but I thought I should promote them to a full post. The first asks about leeward wall pressures:

Are the values for the Leeward wall pz really constant with elevation?

Response to a reader question regarding using the NSCP for estimating wind loads on irregular shapes

A reader asked:

How would you evaluate the pressure coefficients for structures with irregular polygon shapes. An example would be those structures with a plan shape resembling the letters "W" or "K." Most of the pressure coefficients in the code are for uniform cross-sections such as circle, rectangle, square, and so on. I have my own approach on this (mostly based on engineering judgement), but I would like to hear first on a wind load aficionado, such as yourself.

2013-2014 1st Sem CE 197 Final Grades

Another semester has gone. I feel that this class has learned things that they wouldn't have otherwise been taught, and yet there is a lot more to know. Even I am still learning! What I did was I only penalized those who did not follow instructions, such as rounding off, etc., or those who did not even try at all. That said, complaints will not be entertained. These grades are final.

Response to a reader question on the damping estimation formulas in NSCP 2010 Section 207

A reader asked,

Equations 207-38 & 207-39 equate damping to 0.016/h and 0.23/h, respectively. However, Equation 207-40 equates damping to 0.007/n, in which h = height of structure, and n = natural frequency of the structure. Are Equations 207-38 & 207-39 correct, or should h be replaced by n?