Weather Whys; Strong Structures

This is weather-wise, each year wind storms cause on the average several billion dollars worth of damage to buildings in the United States. That's including damage from hurricanes, tornadoes, and strong thunderstorm winds, as well as the brisk straight line winds that may accompany a cold fraud or a low pressure system. A lot of research has been done to learn how to build structures that can withstand strong winds. The result of that has been to develop buildings that stand up much better, even to particularly violent winds, such as those found in tornadoes. Studies indicate the amount of wind damage suffered by a building is directly related to the design of the structure, and how much that design incorporates the techniques of wind engineering. Structures are classified into four broad categories that delineate very well just how much wind they might withstand. The weakest buildings are called non-engineered because their design doesn't incorporate any wind engineering.

Most single-family houses and many apartment buildings fall into that category, and unfortunately those structures often suffer heavy damage in any kind of violent wind. One reason is that they're often built with a wood frame that has weak connections between the walls and the foundation. Some buildings that are in a little better shape are called marginally engineered. Their connections are a little stronger, and on top of that the structures often incorporate light steel framing. Pre-engineered buildings are designed by specialists in the area of wind engineering. They have some characteristic weaknesses, but if properly constructed they can hold up pretty well to violent winds. Fully engineered buildings are the top of the line. They're individually designed and incorporate the most up-to-date wind engineering techniques, and they've even been known to withstand direct hits from tornadoes. Weather-wise is made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation. But weather-wise, I'm Drew Barlow.