Introductions - James Cook University€¦ · cyclone resistant design of buildings in North Queensland was a result of his experience as a young architect in assisting in the reconstruction

30 year commerative report | 1

Vision and Mission 2Introductions Foreword – professor Sandra Harding, vice-chancellor 3 chairman’s report – mr Nev Keating 4 Director’s message – professor Jeff Loughran 5Founding of the Cyclone Testing Station 6Operation Over 30 Years the First twenty years – mr Greg reardon 8 the Next ten years – mr David Henderson 10 Working with the School of engineering – Dr John Ginger 12Articles from Former Staff and Collaborators Global topics of Local interest – emeritus professor Hugh trollope 13 personal reminisces – Dr George Walker 13 the value of House testing – Dr Keith eaton 14 improving Housing – Dr Kishor mehta 15 vision and perserverance – Dr Joe minor 15 practical Wind Load testing – Dr premala Sivaprakasapillai Sivasegaram 15 History of the Wind tunnel – Dr John Holmes 15 research at the cyclone testing Station – Dr Geoff Boughton 16 research partnerships for Better Housing – Dr Gregory a Kopp 17The Station Now Staff 18 testing Facilities 20 Full Scale House testing 20 Wind tunnel 20 airbox 21 Wind Driven Debris impact test 21Benefactors and Sponsors 22Management Brief History 23 current management committee 23The Future – mr cam Leitch 24Appendix technical reports 26 recent research papers 27

contents

2 | cycLoNe teStiNG StatioN

prefacethe cyclone testing Station is a unique establishment that straddles academic research, and testing and consulting for industry. the Station was established in 1977, and continues to carry out its mission “to deliver quality research programs, testing and technical advice, leading to building practices which minimise loss and suffering as a result of severe wind events. its successful operation has been based on the innovative work that has benefited the community and building industry. the contribution and support of the benefactors (listed elsewhere in this report) and industry partners (management committee) have played a crucial role in this success story. the cyclone testing Station, a small unit within the School of engineering, at James cook University, in townsville, australia, is proud of its achievements and international recognition in wind engineering research. the articles in this report acknowledge those who have played a part in this journey, over 30 years.

vision and mission

to be seen as the pre-eminent, independent authority on the effects of high wind and related damage to low-rise building systems in australia, South east asia and the pacific

Delivery of quality research programs, testing services, technical advice and educational programs to:

assist in the development of effective building practices that lead to practical, durable and sustainable low-rise building outcomes;

improve safety in relation to and minimise loss and suffering as a result of, severe wind events;

reduce and mitigate risk and costs to communities resulting from wind damage.

vision

mission


as you will read in this report, the cyclone testing Station has achieved a very significant milestone - 30 years of operation.

the idea to start a research unit for cyclone resistant construction was mooted in 1970, the same year that James cook University was established by royal decree. the effects of cyclones althea in townsville in 1971 and tracy in Darwin in 1974 provided the impetus for the establishment of the Station in 1977.

Since then, the work undertaken at the cyclone testing Station has played a defining role in setting building standards and in ensuring a better understanding of the impact of such events and potential responses to them. this is a set of enduring issues that are being given new impetus as a result of the focus on the effects of climate change, including severe wind events.

James cook University is a University focused on enhancing life in the tropics through education and research. this is a unique and pervasive vision within the higher education sector which is strengthened by our geographic location. the cyclone testing Station through its applied research contributes significantly to making this vision real.

as vice chancellor of James cook University and patron of the ctS, my warmest congratulations to all those who have played a role in the conception, establishment and operation of the Station. i look forward to the Station’s continued success as it continues to play its role as a part of the University’s commitment to enhance life in the tropics through education and research.

Foreword fromprofessor Sandra Hardingvice-chancellor, James cook Universitypatron of the ctS


over the last 30 years the cyclone testing Station has continued to grow and develop. this is a great achievement for a voluntary funded organisation. this success has been achieved through evolutionary change to meet the needs of industry, government and the community. the Station’s responsiveness to change will contribute to its ongoing success.

the Station’s changing role has been a joint effort of its technical staff, the management committee members and the University.

i would like to record my appreciation of the dedication and commitment of the Station’s staff, both past and present, in enabling the Station to meet its objectives and gain national and international recognition.

the contribution made by members of the management committee has been a key factor in guiding the direction of the Station. they remain an important link between the Station, industry and government. this 30 year report would be amiss not to acknowledge those who have been involved over the years.

While the Station conducts a number of commercial research and testing projects, its general activities depends on voluntary contributions. industry and government have been generous in their contributions. particular mention must be made of the annual research Grant provided by the Queensland Government through the Department of public Works. the James cook University, through their provision of infrastructure support, has been essential to the establishment and operation of the Station.

industry, Government and the James cook University jointly established the Station and it is very pleasing that this successful partnership continues to be the driving force today.

after 30 years, it is now appropriate to review what we have achieved and to plan for the future. While we have achieved many important milestones, our new goals will need to reflect anticipated future needs including the impact of climate change. the management committee will be addressing this in the near future.

i am proud to have been associated with the Station for nearly the whole of its 30 year life, in particular the last seven years in my role as chairman of the management committee.

i believe that the continued success of the Station beyond this milestone will be assured through ongoing commitments by all involved.

chairman’s reportmr Nev Keating


the university landscape for research is changing in australia. the developing research Quality Framework, to be implemented in 2008, means that all universities will be required to demonstrate excellence in terms of “quality” and “impact” if they are to receive a financial contribution towards operation. Quality can be measured by high impact factor publications and competitive research grants. impact, however, must be measured by technology diffusion and clear adoption of practices by industry. For 30 years the ctS has been working with government agencies, councils, building regulators, suppliers, and insurance companies to assist with product testing, design audits, applied research, and knowledge transfer. australian Standards benefit directly from this research. the ctS, situated within the School of engineering, is a unique research Unit which focuses on the “impact” side of the rQF equation. there is substantial synergy between the ctS and academic disciplines within the school.

as Head of School and a Director of ctS since January 2006, i have been most impressed with the strong industry support received by the Station. clearly, it is indicative of past performance. in my experience no one should try to predict the future. However, with climatic change, and more importantly government policy to counter adverse consequences, the ctS is perfectly located to address critical needs and to make a significant contribution to Northern australia.

Director’s messageprofessor Jeff LoughranHead of School of engineering and ctS Director


a government decision, four cyclones and a roof tile test played major roles in the foundation of the cyclone testing Station.

the government decision was critical for it led to the establishment of the University in townsville creating the intellectual environment necessary for its creation. it also brought to townsville, Hugh trollope, the Foundation professor of civil engineering a person who had an ambition of creating within his Department a world class centre of research focused on issues relevant to North Queensland.

the cyclones were the 1958 Bowen cyclone, and cyclones ada, althea and tracy. Kevin macks’ determination to improve the cyclone resistant design of buildings in North Queensland was a result of his experience as a young architect in assisting in the reconstruction of Bowen after the 1958 cyclone. Hugh trollope first got the idea of developing a centre of research focused on the cyclone resistant design of housing and other small buildings after viewing the damage to airlie Beach and the Whitsunday islands from cyclone ada in January 1970. the investigation of the damage to townsville from cyclone althea in December 1971 by the University initiated the wind engineering research at James cook University that Hugh trollope had dreamed about after cyclone ada. many of the houses that failed in cyclone tracy, which hit Darwin in December 1974, had been designed in accordance with the recommendations developed by the University after cyclone althea. a radically different approach to housing was required from the previous ‘patch the problems’ approach. the adoption of a consequent recommendation that houses in cyclone areas should be structurally engineered for wind loads led to the demand for testing facilities which the cyclone testing Station was created to meet.

the roof tile test was the first ‘cyclone test’ conducted at James cook University. it was undertaken about 1973 for monier colourtile pty Ltd following concerns expressed by Kevin macks about the adequacy of their concrete roof tiles in cyclones. it exposed a weakness which was highlighted by the widespread failure of the concrete roof tiles in cyclone althea. as a consequence theo Wilkinson, the General manager of monier colourtile pty led the development of an innovative tile clip to hold down tiles in strong

Founding of thecyclone testing Station

Top: Townsville Bowling Club and Queens Hotel, the Strand. Bottom: High-set house collapsed on car, West End. Photos after Cyclone AltheaPhotos courtesy of David Whitehouse


wind, in which he involved the University. in cyclone tracy these tile clips also failed, due to the vibration resulting from the fluctuating wind loads. Not to be beaten theo developed a tile testing machine to apply repeated loads simulating the fluctuating wind loads and developed a modified tile clip, again in association with the University. this experience convinced him of the need for testing facilities to assist the building industry in developing reliable cyclone resistant forms of construction.

Hugh trollope recognized that there were limits to the amount of testing that academic staff could undertake without it seriously affecting their core responsibilities of teaching and research. He discussed the issue with theo Wilkinson, Kevin macks and townsville consulting engineer, John mcintyre. this led to a documented proposal by Hugh trollope dated 7 may 1975 for the establishment of a special testing unit focused on cyclone resistant building construction within the University. this proposal was endorsed by the vice chancellor leading to the development of an interim management committee chaired by theo Wilkinson and consisting of industry, government and university representatives, which was responsible for raising funds, preparing a constitution, and getting the cyclone testing Station up and running. it was to take two and a half years for the proposal to become a reality.

From the beginning the cyclone testing Station was envisaged as a joint venture of the University and the building industry, with the University providing the facilities and expertise and industry providing the funds for staff and their maintenance. Without this synergy the establishment of the cyclone testing Station would have been a much more difficult task. By the time it began, the equipment available included a test rig capable of testing wall panels in racking and uplift, a missile impact testing rig, the Department’s material testing machines, and a duplicate of the tile testing rig that monier had developed to test their modified tile clips under repeated loads, which they had donated to the University. the University’s wind tunnel had also been constructed by this time, although it was not initially considered useful to the Station.

By mid 1977 with approximately $60,000 having been raised or promised the interim management committee decided to appoint an engineer and a technical assistant. the engineering position was advertised nationally resulting in the appointment of Greg reardon, who took up his position on 1 November 1977, with Keith abercrombie being appointed at the same time as the technical officer. although it was almost another 2 years before it was formerly established by the University, this date is usually regarded as the birth date of the cyclone testing Station.

this is a condensed version of an article on the birth of the cyclone testing Station by George Walker which can be found on the cyclone testing Station website [www.eng.jcu.edu.au/cts]


the report celebrating the first 10 years of the Station listed its aims as “to advise industry and government on optimizing the effect of shelter in high wind environments.” this was to be achieved through research and testing, damage investigations and dissemination of information. the 20 year report formalized these aims into a vision Statement “to be at the leading edge of wind engineering research and testing of low rise buildings”, with a mission of “Delivery of quality research programs, testing and technical advice, leading to effective building practices which minimize loss and suffering as a result of severe wind events”. these aims summarize the operation of the Station during its first 20 years.

research programs were developed in collaboration with the Station management committee, the building industry, other research institutes and regulatory authorities. the programs included investigations into bracing strength of cladding materials, low cycle fatigue of cladding materials, performance of various joint configurations, development of load cycling regimes and mathematical analysis of stress concentrations in structural assemblies.

the Station developed loading equipment, control mechanisms, testing procedures and data acquisition equipment for testing full-scale houses. a total of eight houses were tested and analyzed in this research program. one of the main outcomes of the program was a better understanding of the complex interaction of structural and non-structural components in housing subject to wind loading. this research provided the foundation for the Station’s later research program on the assessment of vulnerability of communities to high wind events.

Wind tunnel research conducted by the Station included analysis of pressure distribution over the surfaces of various house and architectural shapes, over different topographical profiles and even on transmission lines. Scale models of each of the full-scale test houses were tested in the wind tunnel to determine the appropriate pressure distributions for the full-scale tests. the main source of income for the Station was from conducting tests commissioned by building products manufacturers. the tests usually simulated the

the First twenty years mr Greg reardon Foundation ctS technical Director

Top: Full-scale house testing at Garbutt. Bottom: Airbox testing of roof cladding.


effect of wind pressures on building components. the tests may be racking, lateral loading, uplift loading or a combination thereof. Depending on the type of structure under test and its proposed end use, the tests would be either a slow build-up of pressure or a repeated loading pattern at a frequency of about three seconds. if the product was unique or innovative, the Station usually had to develop both loading criteria and performance criteria. this service to industry resulted in the Station helping various companies produce brochures about the potential engineering applications of their product. Station staff were often given a privileged entry to the manufacturer’s own research areas.

as the Station’s technical Director during the first 20 years, i had an already established reputation for wind damage investigations as i was part of a cSiro team investigating the performance of houses in Darwin after cyclone tracy. i have maintained this interest and studied the performance of housing after tropical cyclones at various locations in Queensland, Northern territory and Western australia, as well as a typhoon in vietnam and hurricanes in tonga and USa. the most significant of these, during the 20 year period, would have been after hurricane andrew hit miami, USa, in 1992. papers on the findings were presented at engineering conferences in USa and australia.

in the early days, two main avenues were used to disseminate the Station’s research findings. they were the Station’s technical report series, of which nearly 50 titles were produced in those years, and papers presented at engineering or building conferences. However, it was soon realized that a more efficient way of getting research results into practice was to influence building regulations. the Station contributed to the engineering specifications and details of the Queensland Home Building code, appendix 4 to the Queensland Building act, which was published in the mid 1980s. this booklet became the requirement for building houses in Queensland. as the next step, the Station became significantly involved in the writing of australian Standards for structural engineering. its staff chaired a number of standards committees, the most significant of which would have been the loading committee, the wind loading committee and the wind loads for housing committee. these standards are now specified by the Building code of australia, which is part of the law for building.

as a result of the quality of its research and its expertise and experience, the Station has developed a significant international reputation in the field of wind engineering. it has presented many papers at national and international conferences. it has been acknowledged as an international leader by being invited to represent australia at an apec technical Forum, and has been part of an australian team planning to align building regulations in various asian and pacific region countries. on two occasions the Station was invited to be a short term consultant to United Nations, in india in 1993 and in vietnam in 1996. conversely, international researchers often visit the Station to discuss common interests and research topics.


Following Greg’s retirement, i was honoured to be appointed manager of the Station, leading into the new millennium. With the great support of the ctS team (John, Don, Keith and cam) and the management committee we were able to raise the Station’s profile with industry and government. New management committee members from insurance australia Group and the australian Building codes Board joined the dedicated long time members representing organisations such as Queensland Dept of public Works, townsville city council, timber research and Development advisory council of Qld (traDac), Qld master Builders association (QmBa), royal australian institute of architects, aust (raia), Bluescope Steel, Lysaght and Stramit.

We brought on line the large volume free air test chamber (our airbox) which superseded the prior cladding test methods of air-bags and line loads. Unlike the air-bag or line load systems the airbox is able to apply a cyclic pressure over the entire exposed surface giving a closer approximation to the real world, without the artificial constraint of the air-bag or line load on the test specimens surface. the airbox greatly enhanced our commercial operations and research capability.

the cyclone testing Station was part of the team that received the 2004 emergency management australia (ema) National Safer communities award for our work on the ‘Queensland climate change and community vulnerability to tropical cyclones project’. contributors in this very large project were the environmental protection agency, Dept of emergency Services, Dept of Natural resources, Bureau of meteorology, Systems engineering australia (Sea), JcU marine modelling Unit and the ctS. in our part of the project, the ctS and Sea developed a numerical model of housing vulnerability under extreme winds for the cairns, townsville and mackay regions. the study involved the categorising tens of thousands of homes and the detailed inspections of over a hundred houses. We focused on housing as they represent the shelter mainly used during cyclone events. For this reason, knowledge of housing resilience is crucial for agencies involved in disaster mitigation and response, as it serves to target disaster amelioration. the report is available fromwww.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/ClimateChanges/pub/OceanHazardsStage4.html

in 2004, the ctS received the ‘year of the Built environment award’ in the field of research and investigation by the Queensland Dept of public

the Next ten yearsmr David HendersonFormer ctS manager and now phD Student

Top: Damaged house on Croker Island, after Cyclone Ingrid. Bottom: CTS display at industry conference.


Works and Housing. the award recognised the Station’s strong commitment and achievements in building research and investigation into improved construction techniques that help provide safer communities.

2005 saw the start of our formal collaboration with University of Western ontario, canada, on their full scale house testing facility. this ongoing linkage is enabling the ctS to examine housing components subjected to highly fluctuating wind loads, mimicking cyclonic winds.

after many years of ongoing research and testing by ctS researchers, past and present, the Low-High-Low fatigue load test method was introduced into the 2006 Building code of australia. the commitment of the australian Building codes Board (aBcB) with the support of the Northern territory, Western australia and Queensland Governments and industry stakeholders, enabled the unification to a national test method for the evaluation of the building envelope to cyclonic winds.

With the impact of severe category 4 tropical cyclone Larry on the innisfail area, the ctS team spent many days in the region inspecting damaged and undamaged structures, liaising with emergency response agencies and building regulators, and collaborating with other investigators such as Bureau of meterology (Bom), GeoSciences australia (Ga) and Sea. overall the majority of contemporary construction (built since the early 80s) performed well structurally, that is, remained intact and protected the occupants. However, the vast majority of houses suffered water ingress and the Station did note with alarm a small percentage of newer houses had significant structural damage due to errors in the design and/or poor construction. the ctS report detailing the investigation, findings and recommendations can be found on the aBcB website www.abcb.gov.au.

at the end of 2006, i resigned from being the Station’s manager. However, i have not moved too far as i am a phD student working on a ctS arc research grant examining cyclonic wind induced fatigue loading of the building envelope.

By bringing together the outcomes of our vulnerability modelling of housing, product testing, and findings from our damage investigations and housing surveys, the ctS is continuing its mission to achieve resilient house construction with targeted information for all sectors of the building community.


i joined the cyclone testing Station as a research Fellow in late 1996, just short of its 20 year anniversary, following a stint at texas tech. my first day at work was a memorable one, as a full scale house was being tested to “failure”. the news release created lots of media interest, until it became evident that failure in engineering terms implied a 20 mm deflection at roof level, hardly riveting tv coverage!

the Station has grown from the solid foundation laid by Greg reardon, and been sustained by its community orientated mission “to deliver research programs, testing and technical services leading to effective building practices which minimizes loss and suffering as a result of severe wind events”. the reputation of the Station was enhanced by the research carried out by Geoff Boughton, mahen mahendran and you Lin Xu, who have gone on to illustrious academic careers and proud ambassadors of the Station. research on wind load effects on structures, conducted by George Walker and John Holmes from the School of engineering also provided a boost to the Station, in the early days. i have been privileged to interact with these outstanding researchers and also work closely with David Henderson, Don Braddick, cam Leitch and peter Kim.

Following my academic appointment 2001, prof. John patterson, then Head – School of engineering, and prof Jeff Loughran in more recent times, have encouraged closer co-operation and synergy between the School and the Station. this interaction has been of mutual benefit, and is a major factor in the success of the Station over the past 30 years. this collaboration has also helped the Station with its reach into education, development of codes and standards, and research.

maintaining partnerships with researchers worldwide, forming collaborations such as that with Greg Kopp’s group, at the University of Western ontario, and continuing our research with a focus on evolving needs of industry, will ensure that the Station continues to be at the forefront of wind engineering research into the future.

Working with the School of engineeringDr John GingerJcU Senior Lecturer and ctS research Director

Top: Pressure tapped building model in the wind tunnel.Bottom: Model of Lang Park Stadium in the wind tunnel.


Global topics of Local interestemeritus professor Hugh trollope aoFoundation Director of ctSi have been in a happy state since i learned from George Walker that the 30-year anniversary of the formation of the cyclone testing Station was to be formally celebrated on November 14. i have, for many years, been convinced that University Departments should conduct research on global topics of local interest and concern, and that the cyclone testing Station fits this nicely. the only thing i would add is that the wind pattern is likely to change because of global warming and i think that this should be taken into account. Who knows? James cook may lead the world in establishing appropriate design criteria.

credit has been paid to a number of people who have contributed to the development of the Station, and i would like to thank those who have made equally valuable contribution but perhaps are not so obvious. the first of these is Ken Back – our first vice-chancellor. i cannot recall one occasion on which he showed a negative approach to the development of the Station. Following him, with a lesser but still valuable attitude was ray Golding, and we should be grateful to both of them. of course the Station would not have reached its present eminence without the efforts of the staff concerned and i would like to thank all of them.

personal reminiscesDr George WalkerFormer associate profrofessor, JcU School of engineeringalthough i can not claim the same level of responsibility for the establishment of the cyclone testing Station as Hugh trollope, Kevin macks and theo Wilkinson, i was closely involved in a number of the critical events listed above. i undertook the initial roof tile tests for monier and was involved with them in the subsequent development of the tile clip, both the initial model and the modified version after cyclone tracy. i witnessed at first hand the poor behaviour of the initial tile clips in cyclone tracy, identified they had failed due to the fluctuating loads, and relayed the disappointing news to theo Wilkinson. i led the report of cyclone althea the recommendations of which failed to prevent the damage in Darwin. i led the investigation of the damage from cyclone tracy and realised why, resulting in what was then regarded as a radical recommendation that houses in cyclone areas should be structurally engineered to resist wind forces. although never a formal member of the interim management committee or of the present management committee until after i left the University in 1989, i was nevertheless intimately involved with both committees from their beginning, attending meetings as the academic structural wind engineering advisor. once the Station was established i worked closely with Greg reardon, acting as peer reviewer and checker of all its reports, providing academic leadership to its subsequent research activities, particularly those of Geoff Boughton and mahendren, and bringing into the ambit of the

articles from former staff and collaborators


cyclone testing Station much of my own research on the racking strength of walls and ceiling diaphragms. as a consequence i have felt a part of the Station since its original conception to the present day. i have gained great satisfaction from this involvement, both from the work itself, but especially from working with Greg, Geoff and mahendren, and i owe a lot to the establishment of the Station for my own successful career.

But it could easily have not happened. the reason that Hugh trollope’s idea after cyclone ada remained only a dream was because it depended on me to take it on board, and i turned it down as seemed to me that roof cladding that peeled off because it was inadequately fastened, roofs that came off concrete block buildings because the cavities containing the tie down rods were filled with cement bags, and houses that disintegrated because they were just nailed together, were all problems that could be easily solved by the application of existing engineering knowledge. cyclone althea gave me a second chance.

the value of House testingDr Keith eatonchief executive, iStructei first heard about the cyclone testing Station and all the needs and ambitious plans for the facility at James cook University when i was leading a large programme of full-scale testing of houses at aylesbury in the UK, part of the research programme of the Building research establishment. Nearly all other wind engineering researchers around the world were concentrating on high-rise buildings – yet there was a tremendous need for low-rise design data. George Walker and i (and at about the same time, Greg reardon and Bob Leicester at cSiro) soon joined forces, established our networking and discussion of ideas, and were soon planning some joint activities. Here was a ‘like-minded’ organisation, here was a location that wanted to perform both full-scale and model-scale tests (just as i was doing at Bre), and here was a set-up in a region that experiences cyclones.

our collaboration developed in 1975 when George started a one-year sabbatical at Bre; only to be cut short when he had to return to australia (leaving mary and the children in the UK) to lead activities in Darwin. i gave him numerous rolls of Kodak film to document everything – never to have my stocks replaced!! (only joking George.) the interactions, including visits to townsville, continued as i designed hurricane-resistant houses around the caribbean; and finally, after cyclone isaac struck tonga in 1982, we really were motoring together. Greg reardon met up with me in tonga; all leading to the design, development and construction of some 2000 replacement and cyclone-resistant dwellings. one pre-fabricated house was taken off the production line and shipped to townsville; a tongan constructor came to erect it in the tongan way on the ctS site along with the loading frames; and Greg and i, heavily supported by Geoff Boughton, got testing. We identified one weakness in the design of roof hold down connections after the fatigue tests; i modified the design and, as far as i know, all the houses in tonga have performed very satisfactorily ever since.

Well done Greg, Geoff, George and everyone at Station – without this facility at James cook University many people in many places around the world would be far worse off when trying to cope with nature’s extreme events.

Failure of roof hold down connection after full scale testing of tongan house.


improving HousingDr Kishor mehtap.W.Horn professor of civil engineering, texas tech Universitymy past visits to the cyclone testing Station have left me with excellent memories of the dynamic, well organized physical plant of the Station. of course, i stay updated on the activities and the research and development conducted there with the newsletter and reports. the Station has done outstanding work on the understanding of the wind resistance of housing; the work is a significant contribution to the world for improving housing. all the best during your celebrations. i believe that the Station and its staff will go on to bigger things over the next 30 years.

vision and perserveranceDr Joe minor consultant and Former professor civil engineering, texas tech Universityi was on sabbatical leave to James cook University in 1978 when the Station was in its formative phase. i met with Kevin macks and others on the first industrial advisory board. in subsequent trips to australia and for 30 years i followed the development of the Station. the Station overcame many obstacles over the years, including high expectations by industry, changing national and university attitudes toward research, and continuing university restructuring and personnel changes. Nonetheless, the Station persevered through the vision of Hugh trollope, the support of Kevin Stark, the guidance of George Walker, the commitment of Greg reardon, and the technical contributions of capable researchers such as John Holmes. as an institute director with a similar portfolio i fully appreciate the challenges faced by the Station leadership and marvel that they succeeded. many similar organizations that started in the wake of disaster for the purpose of solving glaring problems did not survive the initial rush of interest. the Station should be rightfully proud of its success and heritage. its founders and the lineage of leadership should be enshrined in its history as persons of vision who made a real contribution to the mitigation of tropical cyclone effects worldwide.

practical Wind Load testingDr premala Sivaprakasapillai Sivasegaramprofessor, open University Sri Lankai visited the cyclone testing Station in 1980, about three years after it was set up in 1977, and met Hugh trollope, George Walker, Greg reardon, John Holmes; i had met Kevin macks when he came to Sri Lanka as a member of a team of experts sent by the australian Development Bureau after the cyclone that struck the east coast in 1978. at the Station, i saw the testing being carried out and later also visited the construction site of a house incorporating recommended features. i got the impression that Station maintains a close link with the construction industry, the designers and contractors.

Later, when i worked in Barbados for the ministry of education, as a consultant of the commonwealth Fund for technical cooperation (cFtc), i was involved in the design of new school buildings funded by the World Bank. as the West indies is very much prone to cyclones, (though Barbados seemed relatively fortunate), i thought it necessary to make the school building roofs and fixings withstand cyclones and high winds. i made several inquiries for carrying out the relevant tests on the roofing sheets and recommendation of fixings. i found that the Station was best equipped with considerable experience and the reasonable rates charged made it possible, despite the distance to townsville, for the manufacturer to ship the roofing sheets and get the necessary tests done by the Station.

more recently, in considering a review of the wind code for Sri Lanka, George Walker and John Ginger have freely given their advice, which has been very helpful and encouraging.

History of the Wind tunnnelDr John HolmesJDH consulting and Former Senior Lecturer, JcU School of engineeringthe wind tunnel facility of the cyclone testing Station at James cook University actually pre-dates the formation of the Station itself by a couple of years. construction was commenced in early 1975 shortly after i arrived at the University,


with the strong support of Hugh trollope and George Walker. construction was completed in about october 1976 with some ceremony, and the presence of state government politicians. Funding support came from the townsville Harbour Board, mount isa mines Ltd. and steel framing members were donated by a local company. the erection was carried out nearly single handedly by Gordon mcNealy, later to become the University Workshop manager. the wind tunnel was originally constructed in the structural laboratory of the civil and Systems Department. it was later (about 1978) moved into its present location, a new building built at the same time as the buildings of the electrical engineering Department. at the same time, a new section was inserted, extending the length by about four metres.

the Station took over the wind tunnel sometime in the 1980s after i left the University. Several other notable Departmental and Station staff made use of the facility during its more than 30 years existence: erin Jancauskas, rajam Sankaran, you Lin Xu (now chair professor at polytechnic University of Hong Kong), and, of course, John Ginger, who continues the high standard research and development of his predecessors. the function of the wind tunnel is primarily to obtain aerodynamic shape factors for structures (using the terminology of the australian Standard on Wind actions). valuable and internationally-recognized work on wind loading has been carried out in the wind tunnel during the last 30 years – particularly related to low-rise buildings. much of this work has been adopted by the australia/New Zealand wind loading Standard, and several other codes and standards around the world.

research at the cyclone testing Station Dr Geoff BoughtonDirector, timbereD and former ctS research Fellow throughout its 30 years the cyclone testing Station has been passionate about improving the performance of normal australian building construction under high winds. it has made many significant contributions to that goal already and will continue to be a major contributor well into the future. this is principally because of two significant factors:

it’s funding and governance has developed a synergy between the worlds of academia and industry. the demands for timely, practical solutions to problems have driven world-class research into complex aerodynamic and structural issues.

the people it has attracted have been dedicated, capable and tireless workers for the Station’s aims. this has extended from the management committees, patrons through the technical Directors, to engineers, technical and research assistants. all have made substantial contributions while at the Station, but most have remained connected in some way even though they may have moved on.

From a personal perspective it was a wonderful place to work, and i have always treasured my relationship with the Station and its people.

many people underestimate the structural complexity of the humble house. However, any attempt to minimize wind damage to buildings must grapple with that complexity. Greg reardon, the Station’s first and longest serving technical Director made analogies with chains and encouraged all in the industry to think of every connection, every structural element as a vital link in the chain of structural elements that carried wind loads to the ground. the message was born out of meticulous surveys of damage after tens of events, both in australia and overseas,

Left: Full scale brick veneer house testing.Right: Testing of a timber house frame.


and it was confirmed by a myriad of laboratory tests on connectors, frames, walls, ceilings and assemblies, all under the close supervision of industry collaborators. an early plan was the development of a facility to conduct load testing on full scale houses, a world first.

While the project was in its feasibility stage, innovation enabled huge progress to be made whilst minimizing expenses. the houses were built in the “bush test facility” on a corner of the campus where the loading rigs were homes to spiders, snakes and curious kangaroos visited and left. Unfortunately the curious termites visited and stayed! None the less, second-hand aircraft landing gear was pressed into service as loading rams, displacement transducers were manufactured and data-logging boxes were built. all were scrupulously calibrated and used extensively testing whole houses with combined simulated uplift and lateral forces. computer control allowed the loads to be cycled and automated data logging enabled complex load paths through the structure to be plotted and checked as damage progressed.

many different houses have been tested, but one is a clear favourite. in 1983 pilimi ‘aho, the Director of Works in tonga arrived with a hammer in his hand to build a small two room core house – a prototype of many to be owner-built throughout the kingdom. over a number of weeks he helped build the house in the same way a new owner would – with hand tools. it was then subjected to simulated cyclonic loads and some structural deficiencies were exposed in the roof. as indicated by Keith eaton, a better solution was developed, tested and documented, so that when the project was implemented, the new houses already had a proven track record. moreover, the Department of Works was completely supportive of this innovative housing solution and had a vested interest in seeing it work. over two thousand were built and many are still in service today.

this story underlines the Station’s success. it has worked effectively at all levels – examining damage carefully to find the weakest link, establishing where the research is needed, testing thoroughly to understand the mechanics, developing practical solutions and working with legislators, supervisors, builders and trades to see it correctly implemented.

this culture makes the Station as indispensable today as it was when it was formed. it has continued to provide world class research, practical advice to codes, Standards and builders, and to inspire new generations of wind engineers. We have confidence that while there are problems to be solved in wind engineering, there will always be a role for the unique perspective that the Station can bring.

research partnerships for Better HousingDr Gregory a Koppprofessor, Dept of civil engineering, University of Western ontariothe cyclone testing Station has had a significant impact on the way low-rise buildings are constructed, and on the research directions within the wind engineering community, for the past 30 years. Using component tests to check details and full scale tests to understand the system behaviour, the Station’s research has lead to greatly improved reliability of housing. at the University of Western ontario we have only just begun to look at these issues with our ‘three Little pigs’ project. We are coming at the testing of full-scale houses from the perspective of wind tunnel based experimentalists, using a pressure box method which relies heavily on (wind tunnel) pressure data. We have been pleased that the Station has been working as a partner with us from the beginning of this project. David Henderson’s significant development work over the past couple of years has had an impact on every aspect of the project. We are currently enjoying John Ginger’s stay with us as we continue to scale-up to full house tests. as we move into the future, we are looking forward to building on these relationships between our two laboratories.


Staffthe Station would like to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of all of the former staff and researchers, some of whom have contributed histories and articles to this report. currently the staff working or associated with the Station are as follows:

Mr Cam Leitch acting managerDr John Ginger Senior Lecturer, JcU and ctS research DirectorMr David Henderson casual Senior research engineer (part-time)Mr Peter Kim research engineerMr Ulrich Frye casual research engineer (Full-time)Mr Don Braddick Senior engineering technicianMrs Gail Matthews administration assistant (part-time)

Mr Cam Leitch joined the Station as a Senior research engineer in may 2002 with over 25 years of structural and civil engineering experience. His commercial structural design background makes him a valuable addition to the ctS team. cam was appointed acting manager in early 2007.

the Station Now

CTS Staff as at March 2007, Left to Right Don Braddick, Jeff Loughran, Cam Leitch, Peter Kim, Ulrich Frye, David Henderson, Andrew Grice, John Ginger, Gail Matthews


Dr John Ginger joined the cyclone testing Station as a research Fellow in December 1996 and is mainly involved with carrying out research and testing in the Boundary Layer Wind tunnel and development of housing wind vulnerability models. John is a Senior Lecturer in the School of engineering at James cook University and also the research Director of the ctS. He has extensive experience in the area of Wind engineering, resulting from his involvement in a number of projects relating to wind loading and environmental wind effects during the past 15 years. John represents the Station on the australian / New Zealand Wind Loading Standard committee and the Queensland tropical cyclone coodination committee.

Mr David Henderson is currently a phD student and part time Senior research engineer with the Station. David was the previous manager and he has over fifteen years of experience with the Station, conducting studies into low rise buildings and their components and was closely involved with the Full-Scale house testing program. He has substantial knowledge on wind induced fatigue failures of building elements and the wind risk modelling of housing. David has conducted post disaster surveys following severe wind events in cyclonic and non-cyclonic regions of australia and abroad.

Mr Peter Kim, a recent graduate from UWo, joined the Station as a research engineer in July 2006. He soon became an integral part of the Station team and has a keen interest in vulnerability studies and wind tunnel research.

Mr Ulrich Frye, a JcU engineering graduate, joined the Station in January 2007 as a casual research engineer. Ulrich now runs most of the airbox test programs and the flying debris impact testing.

Mr Don Braddick , the Station’s technical officer, a skilled fitter and turner for more than twenty years, fabricates and maintains the specialised ctS loading and test equipment. He has been closely involved in the full scale house testing project. He also installs and monitors the loading rigs during building product tests. Don brings his patience and modelling skills to the fore with the construction of the intricate building and terrain models that are used in the wind tunnel.

Mrs Gail Matthews has been a part-time administration assistant with the Station since mid 2004.


the cyclone testing Station has facilities for the structural evaluation of full scale houses through to roofing screws. the Station’s philosophy is ‘testing the system’ and not an element in isolation. For example, in evaluating roof cladding the test involves at least two widths of cladding to incorporate a lap, the roofing screws and the roof battens. the reason for this is the wind always finds the weakest link in the chain (load path).

Full Scale House testingthe Station’s major research facility is the full scale house testing infrastructure. to date there have been nine full scale structures ranging from a 1940s timber house to a modern split level brick veneer house. Buildings have included a prefabricated kit home and a composite panellized industrial building.

While a house frame is functional and easy to build, it is very complex to analyse. the whole system is highly indeterminate with members supporting each other and sharing loads where necessary. even laboratory testing of large elements such as bracing walls does not take into account the interaction of these elements with other parts of the building. the need to further understand this complex structural system drives the Station’s house testing research programme. this research involves the construction of full size houses then testing them to measure their response to simulated wind forces. Depending on the design of the building these forces are applied to simulate the passage of a tropical cyclone or the effect of peak gusts associated with a thunderstorm.

Wind tunnelWind tunnel model scale tests are carried out in the Boundary Layer Wind tunnel which has a working section 2.0 × 2.5m × 22 m long. the tests are typically carried out at a scale of 1/100 to 1/400 on a turntable containing proximity features (i.e. other buildings, topography etc.). testing is carried out in accordance with the australian Wind engineering Society – Wind tunnel testing Quality assurance manual and the aerodynamics committee of the american Society of civil engineers manual of practice for Wind tunnel testing of Buildings and Structures.

testing Facilities

Top: Cracking to brickwork during full-scale house testing.Middle: Building model in the wind tunnel.Bottom: Measuring deflections during Airbox testing.


the following types of tests are conducted:pressure tapped model tests (cladding Loads, Structural Loads) Force Balance tests (overall Structural Loads) Ground Level Wind climate (pedestrian comfort)

an improved high speed data acquisition system, an efficient data analysis techniques and a variable speed motor which allows better wind velocity control provide the means of conducting cost effective tests quickly, and accurately.

airboxthe cyclone testing Station airbox is basically an open topped pressure chamber, 11 m long and 2 m wide, used to simulate wind pressure on structural elements such as roof sheeting, wall cladding, structural panels, roof vents, skylights, windows, doors and other building elements. For testing cladding, a specimen consisting of a section of roof or wall is fabricated in the normal manner and installed to become the top surface of the chamber. the cladding can be extended over a number of spans to form the test specimen.

the airbox overcomes the constraints of previous test methods (airbag and line load) as the free air in the pressure chamber acts equally on all surfaces and does not provide an artificial constraint to the test specimen surface. it pressurises sharp re-entrants in the same way as it pressurises flat surfaces.

Wind Driven Debris impact testthe Station has just completed additions to its air cannon test apparatus so that it can now fire both a “Standard Missile”, which comprises a 4kg piece of timber having a 100 mm x 50 mm cross section, and a series of five spherical steel balls of 2 grams mass and 8 mm diameter, “Small Spheres”, fired in succession at various random locations on the target. the standard missile and the small spheres comprise two separate tests to determine the flying debris impact resistance of building envelope components that are to be installed in cyclonic regions.

Right: Impact resistant window after test.Left: Debris impact during Cyclone Larry.


While the ctS gains much of its income from testing for building product manufacturers, and from competitive research funds, the untied research funding from our Supporters, Benefactors and Sponsors gives the ctS freedom to participate in activities focused towards safer housing from severe winds. these activities include participation in australian Standards committees, building regulatory advisory committees and promoting community awareness through seminars to building groups, school visits and similar.

the Station acknowledges the ongoing support of the Queensland Government’s Department of public Works and the support of its six Benefactors:

Sponsorsthe Station is also very grateful to three other organizations who provide financial support:

Queensland master Builders association (QmBa) cardwell Shire council Fitzroy Shire council

Benefactors and Sponsors


patronsthe Station welcomed two new patrons in 2007:

professor Sandra Harding, vice-chancellor of James cook University mr Don Fry, chairman, aimtek pty Ltd

the Station acknowledges the support of one of its long standing previous patrons:the late mr John mcintyre am, o. B. e., Fieaust, former Director and Founder of mcintyre and assoc pty Ltd, consulting engineers.

management committeethe ctS is guided by the management committee, drawn from a mix of industry, government, research and professionals from around australia. the committee provides strategic advice to the ctS and sets the priority areas for ctS research and community education and meets three times a year.

the Station is extremely grateful to all of its committee members for their time and commitment to attend meetings. it is also grateful to the member’s companies and organizations which support the member’s time and travel costs to attend meetings. the key positions on the management committee over the 30 years are as follows:

Members of the Management Committee as at 1 November 2007chair mr Neville KeatingDeputy chair mr Doug meecham ieaustDirector prof Jeff Loughran James cook Universitytreasurer mrs Shirley Johnson James cook Universitycommittee members mr mike Balch aBcB

mr Fabio Finocchiaro corresponding member (Nt)mr John Galloway QmBamr Lindsay Groat townsville city councilDr Bruce Harper Willismr chris Healy Stramitmr mark Leplastrier iaGDr Kevin macks raiamr Greg o’Brien Dept of public Works, Qldmr cam Seccombe Lysaght BlueScopemr Graeme Stark BlueScope SteelDr George Walker By invitation

management

Chairmr theo Wilkinson 1977 – 1979Dr Kevin macks 1979 – 2000mr Neville Keating 2001 –

Deputy ChairDr Kevin macks 1977 – 1979prof Kevin Stark 1987 – 1989mr arthur Bloxham 1990 - 1997mr Neville Keating 1997 – 2000mr Doug meecham 2001 –

Directorprof Hugh trollope 1977 – 1987prof ray volker 1991 – 1994prof archie Johnston 1995 – 1997prof John patterson 1997 – 2005prof Jeff Loughran 2006 –


a main focus of the Station’s future research is to improve the accuracy of predicting the response of low-rise buildings to severe wind events. this work will advance on many different fronts.

an essential requirement to maximize the accuracy of wind speed prediction for future extreme wind events is to have a sound and consistent data-base of historic events. although not directly involved with these activities, the Station is keen to support the following two measures. Firstly, the Station will continue to encourage a detailed re-analysis of past severe wind events to improve their consistency. the Station is also keen to see government support for a program to establish and deploy mobile wind measurement towers into strategic locations prior to landfall of imminent cyclones. Wind readings collected from these towers will augment the data from the present sparse population of automatic weather stations.

another vital source of practical information is gathered during damage investigations following cyclones or other severe wind events. the Station has made good use of hand written data sets that recorded damage index numbers for samples of the building populations. the advent of digital cameras, Global positioning System (GpS) devices and hand-held electronic data devices (palm-tops) mean that more extensive data can be very quickly gathered, to a relatively higher level of accuracy. Some of this technology was used following cyclone Larry and it will play a bigger role in future damage investigations. another welcome trend is the increasing level of collaboration with other agencies which have an interest in quantifying wind damage.

Wind tunnel tests are now commonly used for determining design wind loads on structures. Full scale measurements that validate wind tunnel test data are a part of the process of ensuring more reliable design data. increasing capabilities of computers and associated data collection and analyzing techniques have enabled detailed model studies to be carried out, in recent times. Design data obtained from wind loading standards and wind tunnel tests are based on atmospheric boundary layer flows, and hence do not satisfactorily model wind loads generated in thunderstorms, which frequently cause structural damage, in some locations. research into thunderstorm winds and the resulting wind loads will provide more reliable design data. in many instances, major building damage is caused by high internal pressures generated from damage to the envelope. the influence of the building’s volume and the size of the opening on the magnitude of internal pressurization is another topic of interest.

the importance of airbox testing, as predicted in the Station’s 20 year report, has been proved correct and it is now the recognized method to simulate wind loading on the exposed surfaces of components that make up the outside skin of buildings. the Station is collaborating with UWo, in the use of the next generation airbox, called a pressure Load actuator (pLa). this device has a powerful fan forcing air through a rapid response valve system so that a fluctuating wind pressure trace, with both positive and negative (suction) pressures) can be applied to test panel building surfaces. UWo has provided one of their “state-of-the-art” prototype pLa units in mid-2007, for use by the Station. the Station is also keen to develop an experimental test rig to apply simulated wind loading to both the internal and external surfaces of test roof systems. this approach would allow a standard airbox system to apply positive internal pressure below a roof system and then use a pLa system to apply negative fluctuating suction pressure to the external outside surface of the same test roof panel. Such a system would be invaluable to investigate the response of complex systems such as tiled roofs where the presence of sarking and the leakage around the tile edges, preclude the use of standard airbox testing.

the Futuremr cam Leitch, acting manager


the Station is very close to obtaining Nata accreditation for routine commercial tests that are performed using the airbox and point load test jigs used in the Structures Laboratory. Having Nata accreditation creates confidence in the ongoing technical competence of the Station and will provide formal recognition that these tests are performed correctly and to the relevant standards. Nata accreditation will also be a marketing advantage, as the Station will be able to use the well-known Nata logo on test reports. as part of working to achieve Nata accreditation, the Station has just introduced a quality management system.

although not directly involved with full scale house testing for about the last decade, the Station has been collaborating with UWo, to assist them with development for their seven million dollar “Three Little Pigs” full scale house testing project. this close collaboration with UWo is set to continue, with John Ginger currently at UWo for this later half of 2007 (on special studies leave) and mike Bartlett, from UWo accepting an invitation to work with the ctS for about two months in early 2009.

the Station is planning to expand its research into the vulnerability of different types of housing to severe winds; these studies require prediction of both structural and non-structural damage. the structural damage investigations involve statistical analysis of the range of likely strengths of structural components in the “tie-down” chain from roof to foundations. an essential first step is to perform site inspections of a sample of the types of housing under study, so that actual field data on the likely strength of components that form part of this load path “tie-down” chain can be collected.

the main focus of non-structural damage research involves prediction of wind driven water penetration through gaps and cavities to windows, doors and other components of external building surfaces. the results from these vulnerability studies can be used to predict the likely levels of damage from cyclones or other severe wind events, using a range different wind speeds. the results of these vulnerability studies are of great interest to insurers, emergency planners and other government agencies that need to manage the risk associated with these severe wind events.

the Station has traditionally been very strong in the practical side of wind engineering such as physical testing and conducting damage investigations to measure the response of houses to extreme winds. an alternative approach is to build a computer model of a house and run simulations using a wide variety of wind loading scenarios. this computer model would be very complex and such work is outside the Stations’ current area of expertise. However, there is some potential for collaboration with other research institutions, whereby the results from Station house testing research can be compared to computer simulation outputs or even used to “calibrate” these computer simulations.

part of the Station’s mission is to deliver technical advice and educational programs to assist with mitigation of the risk and costs resulting from wind damage. as part of an expansion of its community contribution to foster safer, sustainable communities, the Station is proposing to develop a multi-disciplinary education and training seminar series that would deliver a seminar program for builders and tradespersons and a separate program for engineers/architects/building authorities. this training program will focus on sharing the Station’s experience gained from damage investigations into extreme wind events, and will include the benefits of upgrading older dwellings and how to properly upgrade existing dwellings.

overarching all of the Station’s research into extreme wind events is the challenge from possible impacts of global warming on the severity and distribution of severe wind events. this issue is outside the Station’s area of research expertise, but the Station will need to liaise with the key stakeholders, to keep abreast of on-going developments.

the Station has a wide variety of interesting and challenging research, testing and educational roles to fulfill. the future success of the Station will be driven by a continuation of the able leadership and direction provided by the ctS management committee and the ongoing support of the Station Benefactors, Sponsors and JcU. this will allow the Station to continue the successful synergy of academic research, commercial consultancies and simulated wind load testing for industry, leading to more resilient communities.


technical reportstr52 tropical cyclone George – Damage to buildings in the port Hedland areatr51 tropical cyclone Larry - Damage to buildings in the innisfail areatr50 Damage investigation of buildings at minjilang, cape Don and Smith point in Nt following cyclone ingridtr49 an investigation of bond beam truss hold down connectionstr48 a structural assessment of the effects of cyclone vance on houses in exmouth Watr47 Wind loads on fences and hoardings.tr46 Wind loads on a typical low-rise house.tr45 comparison of wind pressure and fatigue damage to hip and gable roof claddings.tr44 an investigation of truss hold down details.tr43 internal and net pressures on low-rise full-scale buildings.tr42 Full-scale and model-scale wind pressure and fatigue loading on the texas tech University building.tr41 Wind induced fatigue loading on roof cladding of low rise buildings.tr40 Finite element analysis of profiled roofing sheets subject to simulated wind uplift.tr39 Fatigue behaviour of light gauge steel roof claddings under simulated cyclonic wind forces.tr38 Simulation of cyclonic wind forces on roof claddings by random block load testing.tr37 Behaviour of different profiled roofing sheets subject to wind uplift.tr36 Simulated cyclone wind loading of a Nu-Steel house.tr35 Fatigue behaviour of corrugated roofing under cyclic wind loading.tr34 Simulated wind loading of a melbourne style brick veneer house.tr33 Static behaviour of corrugated roofing under simulated wind loading.tr32 a survey of the corrosion of building components.tr31 JcU papers at 7th icWe.tr30 investigation of damage to structures following cyclone connie.tr29 a discussion of criteria for the structural design of buildings to resist tropical cyclones.tr28 Simulated cyclone wind loading of a brick veneer house.tr27 effects of cyclone Winifred on buildings.tr23 Simulated wind load tests on the tongan hurricane house.tr22 testing a Logan Unit house designed for 63 m/s winds.tr21 Structural damage caused by cyclone Kathy at Borroloola, N.t. march 1984.tr20 investigation of diaphragm action of ceilings. progress report 3.tr19 testing a high set house designed for 42 m/s winds. part 1 - preliminary results.tr18 Load and deflection instrumentation for structural testing.tr17 Withdrawal strength of grooved nails in pine. part 2 - recommendations as batten/rafter joints.tr16 Withdrawal strength of grooved nails in pine. part 1 - results and analysis.tr15 investigation of diaphragm action of ceilings. progress report 2.tr14 Simulated wind tests on a house. part 2 - results.tr13 report on damage caused by cyclone isaac in tonga.tr12 Simulated wind tests on a house. part 1 - Description.tr11 Wind tunnel research on low rise buildings.tr10 investigation of diaphragm action of ceilings. progress report 1.tr9 practical brickwork and masonry.tr8 Bracing strength of corrugated steel roofing.tr7 connections and fastenings for domestic construction.tr6 characteristics of cyclone risk to dwellings.tr5 recommendations for the testing of roofs and walls to resist high wind forces.tr4 Damage in the pilbara caused by cyclones amy and Dean.tr3 the strength of batten-to-rafter joints part 2 - recommendations for high wind areas.tr2 the strength of batten-to-rafter joints. part 1 - test results and derivation of design loads.tr1 terrain categories and wind speeds for principal Queensland townships.

appendix


recent research papersGinger J, Henderson D, Leitch c and Boughton G (2007) Tropical Cyclone Larry: Estimation of wind field and assessment of building damage,

australian J. of Structural engineering, vol 7 No 3, 209-224

Henderson D and Ginger J (2007) Vulnerability model of an Australian high-set house subjected to cyclonic wind loading, Journal of Wind and Structures, vol 10 No 3, 269-288

Henderson D and Ginger J (2007) Extreme wind events in Australia – Does the BCA stand up? Building australia’s Future conference 07, Gold coast, australia

Ginger J. D., Henderson D. J and Kim p. y, (2007) Reliability Of Contemporary Housing To Cyclonic Wind Loading, proc. 12th international conference on Wind engineering, cairns, australia.

Ginger J. D., Holmes J. D. and Kim p. y, (2007) Effect Of Volume And Size Of Opening On Internal Pressure Fluctuations, proc. 12th international conf. on Wind engineering, cairns, australia

Leitch c. J., Ginger J. D. and Henderson D. J., (2007) Vulnerability Of Metal-Clad Sheds In Cyclonic Regions, proc. 12th international conference on Wind engineering, cairns, australia.

Henderson D.J., Ginger J. D., Leitch c. J., Boughton, G. N. and Falck D., (2007) Tropical Cyclone Larry: Engineering Estimates Of Wind Speed And Performance Of Buildings, proc. 12th international conference on Wind engineering, cairns, australia

Kim p. y., Henderson D. J. and Ginger J. D., (2007) LHL: New Australian Test Method For Wind Induced Fatigue Of Building Envelopes, proc. 12th international conf. on Wind engineering, australia

Ginger J. D. and Holmes J. D., (2005) Design Wind Loads On Gable-Ended Low-Rise Buildings With Moderate And Steep Roof Slopes, aust. Journal of Structural engineering, vol. 6, No. 2, 2005, 89-102.

Leitch, c. J., Ginger J. D. and Henderson D. J. (2005) Survey of metal-clad, low-rise, low-pitch sheds in cyclonic regions, 12th aWeS workshop, Queenstown.

Henderson D, and Ginger J (2005) Modelling the reliability of a high set house subjected to cyclonic wind loading, proc. 10th americas conference on Wind engineering. Baton rouge, USa.

Ginger J and Henderson D (2005) Fatigue failure of roof components subjected to wind loading, proc. 10th americas conference on Wind engineering. Baton rouge, USa.

Ginger J and Henderson D (2005) Reliability of metal-clad, low-rise, low-pitch roofs subjected to wind loads, proc. australian Structural engineering conference. Newcastle.

Ginger J. D., (2004) Fluctuating Wind Loads Across Gable-End Buildings With A Range Of Roof Shapes, Wind and Structures Journal, vol. 7, No. 6 2004, 359-372.

Henderson D and Harper B (2004) Detailed Modelling of the Vulnerability of Domestic Housing to Tropical Cyclone Winds, proc. 11th amoS international conference on storms and disaster mitigation. Brisbane.

Henderson D and Ginger J (2004) Performance of roof cladding and battens subjected to wind loads, proc. 11th australian Wind engineering Workshop. Darwin

Ginger J. D. and Harper B. (2004) Wind velocity field at Cape Moreton, 11th aWeS workshop, Darwin.

Henderson D and Harper B (2003) Vulnerability of Housing to Cyclonic Winds in Townsville, Cairns and Mackay, tccip Workshop, australian Disaster conference. canberra.

Ginger J and Henderson D. (2003) Wind loads on roof cladding and fixings, proc. 10th australian Wind engineering Workshop.

Ginger J. and Scovell a. (2003) Wind loads on a large storage shed, proc. 10th australian Wind engineering Workshop.

Holland G. and Ginger J. (2003) Wind loads on sunshade attachments and parent building, proc. 10th australian Wind engineering Workshop.

Ginger J. D. and Holmes J. D., (2003) Effect Of Building Length On Wind Loads On Low-Rise Buildings With A Steep Roof Pitch, Journal of Wind engineering and industrial aerodynamics vol 91, pp 1377-1400.

Henderson D (2002) Impact of the CTS on the Australian Housing Industry, proc. mitigating Housing Losses in extreme Natural events, institute for catastrophic Loss reduction, canada.


Henderson D (2002) Experiences Learnt from CTS Full Scale House Testing, proc. mitigating Housing Losses in extreme Natural events, institute for catastrophic Loss reduction, canada.

Ginger J. D. (2001) Characteristics of wind loads on roof cladding and fixings, Wind and Structures Journal, vol 4, No. 1, 73-84.

Ginger J. D. and Holmes J. D. (2001) Wind loads on long low-rise buildings, vapcWe, Kyoto, Japan, october.

Henderson D, reardon G. and Ginger J. (2001) Performance of light gauge metal roof cladding subjected to cyclonic wind loading, proc. 9th australian Wind engineering Workshop.

Stehle J, Henderson D. (2001) Field damage survey of the Dubbo NSW windstorm of 6th January, 2001, proc. 9th australian Wind engineering Workshop.

Ginger J. D., Holmes J. D. and maltby a. (2001) Wind load effects and effective static loads on canopy roofs, 9th aWeS workshop, townsville.

Ginger J. D., Holmes J. D. and rodgers H. (2001) Wind loads on large industrial-type buildings, 9th aWeS workshop, townsville.

Ginger J. D., reardon G. F. and Whitbread B. J. (2000) Wind load effects and equivalent pressures on low-rise house roofs, engineering Structures 22, pp 638-646.

Ginger J. D. (2000) Internal pressures and cladding net wind loads on a full-scale low-rise building, aSce Journal of Structural engineering, april, pp 538-543.

Ginger J. D., Hutton c. and reardon G. F. (2000) Wind loads on large buildings with steep roofs, 8th aWeS workshop, perth, February.

Ginger J. D., Kane r. and Henderson D. J. (2000) Wind loads on hip end roofs, 8th aWeS workshop, perth, February.

Ginger J. D. (2000) Wind induced pressures and airflow through buildings, proc. 7th australasian Heat and mass transfer conference, James cook University, townsville, July.

Henderson D, reardon G and Ginger J (1999) Effects of Cyclone Vance on the strength of houses in Exmouth WA, proc. australian Disaster conference. canberra. pp 47-52.

reardon G, Boughton G, Henderson D, and Ginger J (1999) The Effects of Tropical Cyclone Vance on Exmouth. aust. Jnl of emergency management. ema vol 14 No 2, pp 27-30.

Ginger J. D. and Letchford c. W. (1999) Net pressures on a low-rise full-scale building Journal of Wind engineering and industrial aerdynamics 83, pp 239-250.

Ginger J. D. (1999) Fluctuating wind loads on roof components, proc. 10th international conference on Wind engineering, Denmark, June, pp 1125-1130.

Ginger J. D., reardon G. F. and Langtree B. a. (1998) Wind loads on fences and hoardings proc. aSec, auckland, october, vol. 2, pp 983-990.

Ginger J. D., reardon G. F. and Whitbread B. J. (1998) Wind loads on roof trusses proc. aSec, auckland, october, vol. 2, pp 991-997.

Ginger J. D. (1998) Fluctuating wind loads on roof cladding fasteners and batten-truss connections 7th aWeS workshop, auckland, September.

Ginger J. D. and Hughes J. (1998) Natural ventilation of houses, 7th aWeS workshop, auckland, September.

Ginger J. D., mehta K. c. and yeatts B. B. (1997) Internal Pressures in a Low Rise Full Scale Building. Jnl of Wind engineering and industrial aerodynamics. 72, pp 163-174.

Fernando S. and Ginger J. D. (1997) Ground Level Wind Effects due to Common Architectural Shapes. proc. Fourth asia-pacific Symposium on Wind engineering. Gold coast. pp 359-362.

Ginger J. D. and Letchford c. W. (1997) Net Pressures on a Low-Rise Full Scale Building. proc. Fourth asia-pacific Symposium on Wind engineering. Gold coast. pp 115-118.

Xu y. L. and reardon G. F. (1997) Effects of Roof Slope on Wind Pressures of a Hip Roof. proc. Fourth asia-pacific Symposium on Wind engineering. Gold coast. pp 147-150.

reardon G. F. and Henderson D. J. (1996) Simulated Wind Loading of a Two Storey Test House. international Wood engineering conference, New orleans, USa, vol 4 pp 313-319.

reardon G. F. and Henderson D. J. (1996) An Investigation of Truss Hold Down Details. preprint, int. Wood engineering conference, New orleans, USa, vol 4 pp 451-457.

reardon G. F. (1996) Simulated Wind Loading of Full Size Houses, proc. int. Seminar: the role of Large and Full Scale testing, inst. of Struct. eng./ city University, London, UK. pp 101.1 - 101.8.

reardon G. F. (1996) Cyclones, Hurricanes and Houses - An Overview. proc. 1996 National engineering conference, ie aust. Darwin, pp 7-11.

CYCLONE TESTING STATION

School of engineering

James cook University

townsville QLD 4811

Phone 07 4781 4754

Fax 07 4781 6788

www.eng.jcu.edu.au/cts

Documents

Introductions - James Cook University€¦ · cyclone resistant design of buildings in North Queensland was a result of his experience as a young architect in assisting in the reconstruction