Risk of debris impact and mitigation across the construction industry and built environment
The Subcommittee on Wind-borne Debris of the Environmental Wind Engineering Committee of the Wind Engineering Division of ASCE sponsored the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE, www.asce.org) reference on Wind-Borne Debris Hazards (ISBN (print): 9780784414965ISBN (PDF): 9780784481134).
Valuable to engineering and construction (E&C) practitioners concerned with and responsible for the risk of debris impact and mitigation across the construction industry and built environment, Wind-Borne Debris Hazards provides a concise summary of the current state of knowledge on all aspects of wind-borne debris damage.
Wind-borne debris, including from construction materials, blown around by wind and wind gusts, and during hurricanes and tornadoes, poses a tremendous safety hazard. Mitigating the risk poses complex challenges to stakeholders when assessing how building materials (both projectile and target) behave and respond during impact.
From Wind-Borne Debris Hazards, five variables to account for when determining damage potential include:
- Impact velocity and duration – How fast and how far an object has traveled.
- Structure response – How it’s cladded and potential impact locations.
- Kinetic energy and momentum – The impact load and the resistance provided by the building envelope.
- Debris orientation on impact – Include all three dimensions: pitch, yaw, and rotation.
- Debris material effects – The projectile nose shape and thickness, and the target thickness and material properties.
American Society of Civil Engineers reference Wind-Borne Debris Hazards includes the following seven topic areas:
- Introduction
- Overview and Field Data
- Debris Motion Initiation
- Flight Characteristics of Wind-Borne Debris
- Damage from Impact (Experimental and Theoretical)
- Wind-Borne Debris Impact Risk Modeling
- Current Standards for Wind-Borne Debris Testing and Protection
Subcommittee on Wind-Borne Debris. Edited by Nigel Berkeley Kaye, Ph.D. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784414965
American Society of Civil Engineers Subject Headings: Motion (dynamics), Storms, Debris, Risk management, Structural response, Field tests, Flight, Natural disasters
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE, www.asce.org)
(Source: “Wind-Borne Debris Hazards.” Edited by Nigel Berkeley Kaye, ASCE Library | Civil Engineering and Its Practical Applications, Subcommittee on Wind-Borne Debris of the Environmental Wind Engineering Committee of the Wind Engineering Division of ASCE, ascelibrary.org/doi/book/10.1061/9780784414965.)
About the Wind Engineering Division of ASCE
Purpose: The purpose of the Wind Engineering Division is to advance professional knowledge and improve the practice of wind engineering in civil engineering design, construction and operations and to make recommendations for advancement of scientific knowledge and practice in wind engineering-related problems.
About the Environmental Wind Engineering Committee of the Wind Engineering Division of ASCE
Purpose: To promote the application of current knowledge in environmental aerodynamics to the planning, design, construction and operation of civil engineering structures or projects; to stimulate civil engineering oriented wind engineering research; to encourage the publication of worthwhile contributions to the field; unified wind design provisions and to interact with appropriate ASCE Divisions and Technical Councils, the ASCE Institutes, and outside organizations.
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