Field Investigation of Prototype Houses
Date: May 17, 2005
Group Members: Lucas Young, Ben Linyard, Jonathan Atkins, Jeff Plumblee, and
Russell Carter (Graduate student)
Submitted by: Jeff Plumblee
Submitted to: Dr. David O. Prevatt
The objective of field investigation of prototype houses is to find measurements for the six houses that were tested on full scale so that accurate scale models may be built. Major obstructions and surrounding buildings will also be measured and built into models so that during wind tunnel testing, shielding can be taken into account, and we can accurately compare wind pressures on the houses of interest to the wind tunnel pressures.
Materials required for field investigation of prototype houses are fairly basic. We will use the ladder from the Wind Load Test Facility for finding roof measurements. We will also need a digital camera to document basic orientation and positioning of the houses and obstructions. We will use a 25 foot tape measure and a 300 foot tape measure from the WLTF to find dimensions. We may use a laser range finder to find distances to other buildings and houses so that no one from the WLTF needs to trespass on adjacent property for finding distances from the prototype house to obstructions. A basic 3-ring binder will be used for notes, drawings and dimensions. Engineering paper will be used for sketching the neighborhood layout. We will need to purchase an angle-slope indicator for finding roof angles. Aerial photographs could be helpful in determining positioning of houses in the 250 foot radius of the prototype house.
The procedure simply consists of going to each site, taking all measurements of the house, finding obstructions, measuring distances to obstructions, and finding dimensions of obstructions. Dimensions needed for the prototype houses include basic wall to wall measurements, measurements of eves and overhangs, and roof slopes and dimensions. Measurements for obstructions (other buildings) include roof slopes, heights and basic dimensions, and distance and orientation to the prototype house.
Results will be drawn in AutoCAD and will ultimately be made into scale models. The prototype houses will be made into acrylic models with drilled pressure taps. Scaled obstructions will be built out of foam and will be placed on a large wooden disc that represents the surrounding area of each house.
During creation of a poster presentation for the field investigation of prototype houses, I would include pictures of each house alongside an AutoCAD drawing of the house. I would include an aerial view of the surroundings, and a picture looking down on the foam surroundings as a comparison. I would include important dimensions with each house, including roof angles. I would also briefly outline research done using data from the project.