Far East Journal of Ocean Research
Volume 2, Issue 1, Pages 1 - 27
(March 2009)
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AERODYNAMIC TESTING APPLICATION OF A FULL-SCALE FACILITY FOR MITIGATING HURRICANE-INDUCED COASTAL DISASTERS
Arindam Gan Chowdhury (U.S.A.), Peng Huang (U.S.A.) and Jimmy Erwin (U.S.A.)
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Abstract:
Hurricane-induced economic losses have increased steadily in the U. S. during the past 50 years. Widespread damage to coastal buildings and infrastructures during hurricanes and other high wind events has highlighted the need for improving the wind performance of new construction and retrofitting existing infrastructure. The International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) at Florida International University (FIU) has developed a new research approach to better understand hurricane-induced effects on low-rise residential and commercial buildings and other structures through full-scale, destructive testing and to develop effective mitigation measures against hurricane-induced coastal disasters. This paper describes the new full-scale testing facility and compares its flow characteristics to those of real tropical cyclone (TC) winds. It also presents a practical application of the facility to the performance of wind-structure interaction experiments and to the development of a mitigation technique aimed at reducing hurricane-induced damage to rooftop equipment, whose vulnerability can be the cause of major damages during hurricanes. Finally, the paper discusses the significance of the use of this facility as an important component of efforts required to sustain the coastal economy in hurricane-prone coastal regions. |
| Keywords and phrases: coastal disasters, hurricanes, structural resiliency, full-scale testing, wall of wind, wind-structure interaction, rooftop equipment failures, mitigation techniques. |
| Communicated by Hyo Choi |
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