Demonstrations set for huge hurricane machine, shingle launcher

May 8, 2008

WHO: University of Florida wind engineering faculty and graduate and undergraduate students.

WHAT: Demonstration of massive hurricane simulator and other unique equipment intended to mimic the effects of hurricanes as part of UF research aimed at toughening homes against the big storms. Researchers will use the 2,800-horsepower machine to blast a large mockup of a house with wind gusts and simulated wind-driven rain at speeds up to 120 mph. They will also conduct tests of flying debris using machines that launch shingles, roof tiles and other projectiles at high speeds. Other equipment to be demonstrated includes portable towers used for gathering data during land-falling hurricanes and a device that simulates hurricane conditions to test windows.

WHEN: May 19, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: University of Florida Eastside Campus, 2160 N.E. Waldo Road, Gainesville. http://www.mapquest.com/maps/2160+NE+Waldo+Road+Gainesville+FL/

RSVP by May 14 to: Aaron Hoover, ahoover@ufl.edu, 352-392-0186. NOTE: Lunch will be available to all members of the news media who RSVP.

PHOTO OF EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE

BACKGROUND: A major goal of UF research is to determine how wind-driven rain finds its way past doors, windows, soffits and other openings in homes even when they remain intact . So-called “water intrusion” was a big problem after the 2004 and 2005 storms in Florida, when many homes built to the latest Florida building code remained standing yet sustained massive water damage to interiors. UF researchers are working closely with industry representatives to evaluate not only building components such as windows and doors, but also installation procedures, with the goal of ensuring that products perform properly in real homes. Another major goal of UF research is to learn more about the behavior of low-altitude hurricane winds — the kind that affect homes — in real storms. UF storm-chasing crews tow the hurricane towers to projected hurricane-landfall sites as part of the Florida Coastal Monitoring Program.