HURRICANE PROOF BUILDINGS

On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 15:09:00 -0400, Matt Whiting
wrote:

I was talking about the hull hitting the ways. Hitting a wave at 15-20
knots is a LOT of force. I'd have to do some research to find the
equivalent wind speed to provide the same force as hitting water at 20
knots, but it would be a lot of wind given the density difference
between wind and water.

Granted, hitting a wave at 15 to 20 knots does produce a lot of force.
But no sailing vessel reached that speed in the water until the advent
of the Clipper ships of the early to mid 1800's. Boats didn't need to
be clipping along at that speed to suffer severe and even terminal
destruction from wave action.

I think I've forgotten what we were debating. ;-)

Corky Scott

Corky

Matt Whiting wrote in
:

That's because you are not an engineer and haven't a clue. Almost all
common building materials can be used to build a structure of a given
strength. It is just that some materials are more cost effective in
certain circumstances. A safe room built from 10" thick oak timbers
would be quite strong. It is just that few people know how to
properly build with timber these days and reinforced concrete is easy
and cheap.
Nothing to do with strength, it is economics.

Matt

Tell me something I don't know, Matt. It's called "taking the cheapest
route and not worrying about the consequences." And it's precisely what I
am addressing. You say I don't have a clue? Tell you what, tell me, when
was the last time you saw a safe room built out of 10" thick oak timbers in
your average wood home?

Juan

Matt Whiting wrote in
:

No, concrete designed to withstand hurricans beats wood that wasn't so
designed. The old wood sailing ships took a lot more beating on a
daily basis than is dished out by a hurricane. And they held up
rather well.

Source, please. Daily beating on the order of what category hurricane?

Corky Scott wrote in
:

Matt, this sounds a like hyperbole. "Old wood sailing ships took a
lot more beating on a daily basis than is dished out by a hurricane"?

First you tell Matt not to argue with me because you think I'm an expert on
everything and now you agree with my assessment of Mark's comments. Hmm.

Juan

Matt Whiting wrote in
:

The old wood sailing ships took a lot more beating on a...

I was talking about the hull hitting the ways. Hitting a wave at
15-20 knots is a LOT of force.

Excuse me, but who is truly clueless here? Since when did old wood sailing
ships travel at anywhere near 15-20 knots? Maybe down the business side of
a tsunami with a cat 5 hurricane tailwind...

Juan

Richard Riley wrote in
:

:Flying cars and oak trees! So it takes a hurricane to make our wishes
:come true!

Not at all! Tornadoes do it too.

When I was 9 yr old I was fishing off the bridge about half a mile from the
approach end of rwy 27 at TJIG. I looked up and saw what appeared to be a
huge fire, things going around in circles and debris flying, all at the
other side of the airport. A policeman was coming towards me on the bridge,
I pointed out the fire, his eyes grew big as saucers and he hauled me off,
running, to the nearby marina building. Over the next few minutes, a
"tromba marina" or waterspout hit land, became a tornado and tore up the
place. I saw a Huey and a Cessna 172 flying backwards after trying to land.
I dont know what happened to them. An entire flight line of planes at Isla
Grande Flying school took flight for short distances and was totally
destroyed, and cars were found hundreds of feet where they were parked.
When it was all over, I walked back outside and realized I still had my
fishing line, and it was still in the water. I went to where it went over
the bridge and a large piece of corrugated metal had flown to where I had
been standing.

"geo" wrote in news:80sUc.3789$de4.1561@trndny07:

I'm not talking about cinder blocks. Reinforced concrete is by FAR the
strongest building material generally available and in the shape of a
dome it's much stronger still. Given the same forces a stick home will
be a pile of splinters while the dome is unscathed. The numbers have
been done; it's not a mystery.
http://www.monolithic.com/plan_desig...ive/index.html


I saw a really cool documentary the other day showing a company building
concrete domes by inflating a bladder, waiting for the concrete to dry and
then deflating the bladder. It was really impressive.

"Vaughn" wrote in
:

You may now withdraw to your dome-shaped hanger with my complements.

If he has a dome-shaped hangar, he probably also knows that it's easier to
put more airplanes into it than into a square or rectangular hangar.
Particularly if he has that rotating platform floor.

On Thu, 19 Aug 2004 15:42:31 GMT, Juan Jimenez wrote:

First you tell Matt not to argue with me because you think I'm an expert on
everything and now you agree with my assessment of Mark's comments. Hmm.

Juan

Actually I think I suggested EVERYONE not argue with you, but it
wasn't because I thought you were "an expert on everything". It was
because you seem to enjoy bickering so much.

Corky Scott

Corky Scott wrote:
On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 15:09:00 -0400, Matt Whiting
wrote:


I was talking about the hull hitting the ways. Hitting a wave at 15-20
knots is a LOT of force. I'd have to do some research to find the
equivalent wind speed to provide the same force as hitting water at 20
knots, but it would be a lot of wind given the density difference
between wind and water.


Granted, hitting a wave at 15 to 20 knots does produce a lot of force.
But no sailing vessel reached that speed in the water until the advent
of the Clipper ships of the early to mid 1800's. Boats didn't need to
be clipping along at that speed to suffer severe and even terminal
destruction from wave action.

I think I've forgotten what we were debating. ;-)

Corky Scott

Corky

If you compute the velocity (vector) of a hull that is moving forward at
8-10 knots and dropping down into a wave in rough seas, I think you'll
find the impact velocity is higher than the speed of the ship.

The topic was can wood structures we built such that they can withstand
hurricane force winds. I'm arguing that a boat hull is very likely
strong enough. It is amazing how strong 8" thick timbers are.


Matt