Meccanica 33: 309–317, 1998. c  1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. Simulation of Correlated Non-Gaussian Pressure Fields K. GURLEY 1 and A. KAREEM 2 1 University of Florida, Department of Civil Engineering; Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA 2 University of Notre Dame, Department of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences; Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA (Received: 30 March 1997; accepted in final form: 7 January 1998) Abstract. Among a host of techniques developed for the analysis and prediction of nonlinear structural response, simulation methods are gaining popularity as computational efficiency increases. Implementation of time domain methods require simulated load time histories with case-specific statistical and spectral characteristics. When the assumption of Gaussian wind loading is inappropriate, techniques for simulating non-Gaussian loading must be sought. Over a larger expanse of building surface, simulation of correlated loads at several spatially separated locations is required. This work introduces a multi-variate non-Gaussian simulation method capable of producing realizations with a wide range of spectral and probabilistic characteristics. The correlation between multiple locations is accurately simulated simultaneously, while retaining the appropriate spectral and probabilistic content at each location. Sommario. Tra la varie tecniche per l’analisi e la previsione della risposta structurale non lineare, stanno acquistando grande popolarit` a i metodi di simulazione poich´ e incrementano l’efficienza computazionale. L’implementazione dei metodi nel domino del tempo richiede la simulazione di storie temporali di carico con specifiche caratteristiche statistiche e spettrali. Quando l’ipotesi di gaussianit` a dell’azione del vento non risulta adeguata pu` o essere necessario ricorrere a techniche di simulazione di carichi non gaussiani. Per superfici di edifici pi` u estese ` e richiesta la simulazione di carichi correlati in diverse posizioni separate spazialmente. La presente memoria introduce un metodo di simulazione multivariata non-gaussiana capace di riprodurre realizzazioni con un ampio campo di caratteristiche spettrali e probabilistiche. La correlazione tra le molteplici posizioni viene simulata simultaneamente in modo accurato mantenendo in ciascuna posizione caratteristiche spettrali e probabilistiche appropriate. Key words: Monte Carlo simulation, Multi-variate random processes, Memoryless transformation, Wind engi- neering, Structural dynamics. 1. Introduction The assurance of the safety of structural envelopes subjected to wind loads requires the consid- eration of non-Gaussian pressure fluctuations. Many of the studies encompassing analysis and modeling of wind effects on structures have tacitly assumed that the involved random processes are Gaussian. This assumption has been invoked primarily for the convenience in analysis, since information concerning statistics of Gaussian processes is abundant. This assumption is valid for integral load effects of the random pressure field. Regions of structures under separated flows experience strong non-Gaussian effects in the pressure distribution characterized by high skewness and kurtosis. These non-Gaussian loads may be highly correlated over the characteristic dimensions of the entire separation region, eliminating the applicability of the central limit theorem. The non-Gaussian effects in pressure result in non-Gaussian local loads, and give way to increased expected damage in glass panels and higher fatigue effects on other components of cladding. The thrust of the work reported here is the