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What wind speeds would we need to see lot of structural damage?

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  • 03-01-2014 4:08am
    #1
    NIMAN
    Registered Users Posts: 33,108 ✭✭✭✭


    We have been getting battered in recent times, and I have often lay at night listening to the wind and worrying about damage to the house, but realistically what wind speeds would we need to be getting to see our standard build houses damaged?


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    #2
    DominoDub
    Registered Users Posts: 1,572 ✭✭✭DominoDub


    http://www.disastercenter.com/convert.htm

    An easy conversion table for you which outlines damage levels


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    #3
    NIMAN
    Registered Users Posts: 33,108 ✭✭✭✭NIMAN


    47 - 54mph Strong Gale Slight structural damage occurs; chimney pots and slates removed
    55 - 63mph Whole Gale Trees uprooted; considerable structural damage occurs

    Eh?


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    #4
    ninebeanrows
    Registered Users Posts: 12,778 ✭✭✭✭ninebeanrows


    NIMAN wrote: »
    47 - 54mph Strong Gale Slight structural damage occurs; chimney pots and slates removed
    55 - 63mph Whole Gale Trees uprooted; considerable structural damage occurs

    Eh?

    If those type of sustained winds speeds hit a populated area it would be a lot more severe than you think. ;)


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    #5
    nuac
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,769 Mod ✭✭✭✭nuac


    Depends on location, shelter, roof design.

    Severe gusts over and above average wind speed can be damaging.


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    #6
    Rosier
    Registered Users Posts: 165 ✭✭Rosier


    here on st stephens night the gale shifted the sensor on my digiweb dish and felled a huge tree down the lane.... what more!


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    #7
    oppenheimer1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,084 ✭✭✭oppenheimer1


    Irish buildings are designed to withstand wind speeds of approximately 26m/s (50kts) characteristic 10min average wind speed velocity at 10m above ground in open country. A typical factor of safety of 1.5 is also applied.


    The 10min average can be converted to a higher gust over a shorter duration.


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    #8
    NIMAN
    Registered Users Posts: 33,108 ✭✭✭✭NIMAN


    During the big storm up here (North Inishowen) around May 2012 (think it was that date anyway), we had an average wind speed of over 90mph. That was the AVERAGE over a particular hour so that some pretty strong wind. Think the biggest gust during that hour was 103mph.

    I remember lying awake worrying, until I had to get my torch at about 4am and go out round the house to check for damage, and there was none. Thats what made me ask the question, because if that wind that night caused no damage, I couldn't imagine any wind doing it. I don't think any neighbouring houses were damaged either.


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    #9
    oppenheimer1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,084 ✭✭✭oppenheimer1


    NIMAN wrote: »
    During the big storm up here (North Inishowen) around May 2012 (think it was that date anyway), we had an average wind speed of over 90mph. That was the AVERAGE over a particular hour so that some pretty strong wind. Think the biggest gust during that hour was 103mph.

    I remember lying awake worrying, until I had to get my torch at about 4am and go out round the house to check for damage, and there was none. Thats what made me ask the question, because if that wind that night caused no damage, I couldn't imagine any wind doing it. I don't think any neighbouring houses were damaged either.

    I should also add that the location in the country, height of the building, distance from the sea among other things can give design wind speeds of multiples of the basic speed mentioned above. The design wind speed for Dublin city centre would be much lower than an exposed coastline building in the west.


    Its all about location, location, location!


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