The Investigation of Wind Resistance on Architectural Structures
Along the coast, architectural structures must be aerodynamic to resist extreme winds. This research explored different architectural structures in relation to different wind speeds. Three separate houses were designed and built using a three dimensional printer replicating homes with dome and slant shaped roofs, and a house on stilts. For each trial, one of the houses was placed at one of the three distances away (one, three, and five feet) from a leaf blower. A string was tied to the house, attached to the force sensor on the opposite side of the set up, and the leaf blower was turned on. The force on the house was recorded by measuring the force acting on the string. It was observed that surface area had a large effect on the force of the house. After three ANOVA and three Tukey HSD statistical tests were conducted, it was found that the stilted house had the largest difference and the lowest recorded wind resistance in comparison to the other houses at all three distances. These findings, of which type of structure that prevents the most wind resistance, could help architects determine which houses to build along the coast to prevent damage against high winds.
Research Conducted By:
Sonja Berger
Fraser High School
Karly Gallis
Cousino High School
Warren Consolidated Schools