Review of the Need for a Large-scale Test Facility for Research on the Effects of Extreme Winds on Structures
The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), through the US Department of Energy (DOE), has proposed that a large-scale wind test facility (LSWTF) be constructed to study, in full-scale, the behavior of low-rise structures under simulated extreme wind conditions. To determine the need for, and potential benefits of, such a facility, the Idaho Operations Office of the DOE requested that the National Research Council (NRC) perform an independent assessment of the role and potential value of an LSWTF in the overall context of wind engineering research. The NRC established the Committee to Review the Need for a Large-scale Test Facility for Research on the Effects of Extreme Winds on Structures, under the auspices of the Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment, to perform this assessment. This report conveys the results of the committee's deliberations as well as its findings and recommendations. Data developed at large-scale would enhanced the understanding of how structures, particularly light-frame structures, are affected by extreme winds (e.g., hurricanes, tornadoes, sever thunderstorms, and other events). With a large-scale wind test facility, full-sized structures, such as site-built or manufactured housing and small commercial or industrial buildings, could be tested under a range of wind conditions in a controlled, repeatable environment. At this time, the US has no facility specifically constructed for this purpose. During the course of this study, the committee was confronted by three difficult questions: (1) does the lack of a facility equate to a need for the facility? (2) is need alone sufficient justification for the construction of a facility? and (3) would the benefits derived from information produced in an LSWTF justify the costs of producing that information? The committee's evaluation of the need and justification for an LSWTF was shaped by these realities.
- Research Organization:
- USDOE Idaho Operations Office, Idaho Falls, ID (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- N/A (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG07-98ID13722
- OSTI ID:
- 765303
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ID/13722; TRN: AH200034%%132
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 Mar 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
TEST FACILITIES
INFORMATION NEEDS
WIND LOADS
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
HURRICANES
TORNADOES
STORMS
BUILDINGS
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
LARGE-SCALE WIND TEST FACILITY (LSWTF)
FULL-SCALE
LOW-RISE STRUCTURES
EXTREME WIND CONDITIONS
WIND ENGINEERING
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
METEOROLOGICAL DATA
STRUCTURAL LOADING
MANUFACTURED HOUSING