Role of a Laboratory Tornado Simulator in Achieving Tornado-ready Communities
Department
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Major
Civil Engineering
Research Advisor
Yan, Guirong Grace
Advisor's Department
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Funding Source
National Science Foundation (NSF) Hazard Mitigation and Structural Engineering Program
Abstract
Tornado research is verified by using data from full-scale tornadoes, but this data is difficult and dangerous to obtain. In order to investigate the wind effects of tornadoes on buildings and communities, the use of tornado simulators in the laboratory setting has been employed. These simulators allow for the measurement of the pressures and forces on model versions of full-scale buildings and contribute to the knowledge base that wind engineers and structural engineers can draw on for designing safe homes and facilities. To these ends, a small-scale simulator was constructed in the Wind Hazard and Mitigation Laboratory on the university campus of the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Additionally, testing has been performed in this simulator, and the results compared to numerical simulation and full-scale radar-measurements, to determine the efficacy of the simulator. A large-scale simulator is planned for construction based on these results.
Biography
Ryan Honerkamp is from Farmington, MO. He graduated from the local high school, 4th in his class, in 2009. He attended Mineral Area College in Park Hills, MO for two years and attained an Associate’s Degree in the Science of Nursing, in 2011, and practiced as a Registered Nurse from 2011 until 2015. He is currently in his final year of his Bachelor's Degree, at Missouri S&T, and has been working with his advisor, Dr. Grace Yan, since May 2016. After his graduation in May he plans to continue to pursue a PhD in Civil Engineering, under Dr. Yan's tutelage, in the science of Wind Engineering.
Research Category
Engineering
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Document Type
Presentation
Award
Engineering oral presentation, First place
Location
Carver Room
Presentation Date
17 Apr 2018, 10:00 am - 10:30 am
Role of a Laboratory Tornado Simulator in Achieving Tornado-ready Communities
Carver Room
Tornado research is verified by using data from full-scale tornadoes, but this data is difficult and dangerous to obtain. In order to investigate the wind effects of tornadoes on buildings and communities, the use of tornado simulators in the laboratory setting has been employed. These simulators allow for the measurement of the pressures and forces on model versions of full-scale buildings and contribute to the knowledge base that wind engineers and structural engineers can draw on for designing safe homes and facilities. To these ends, a small-scale simulator was constructed in the Wind Hazard and Mitigation Laboratory on the university campus of the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Additionally, testing has been performed in this simulator, and the results compared to numerical simulation and full-scale radar-measurements, to determine the efficacy of the simulator. A large-scale simulator is planned for construction based on these results.
