♪♪
Narrator: SENIOR RESEARCH
ENGINEER KURT LONG
HAS KINDLY OFFERED HIS MINIATURE
WIND TUNNEL FOR TESTING.
Long: HERE WE GO.
PERFECT.
ALL RIGHT, JUST BOLT IT DOWN,
AND WE'RE READY TO GO.
BUT READY TO GO
WITH WHAT EXACTLY?
THIS MAY LOOK PRETTY COOL,
BUT I ASSURE YOU THAT YESTERDAY,
THIS WAS NOTHING BUT A BIG SHEET
OF STEEL WITH POTENTIAL.
Narrator:
AND IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG
FOR THAT STEEL
TO FULFILL ITS POTENTIAL,
TRANSFORMING
INTO A SMALL-SCALE HOUSE.
LIKE MOST SIMPLE HOMES,
IT'S GOT FOUR WALLS,
A ROOF, AND SOME WINDOWS.
BUT THIS IS
AN ENGINEERING MARVEL.
ALL OF THE WALLS OF THE HOUSE
HAVE A HINGE ALONG THE BOTTOM,
AND THAT ALLOWS THE WALL
TO FLEX IN AND OUT.
AND BECAUSE WE'VE ATTACHED
A CYLINDER INSIDE
THAT'S FILLED WITH A BLUE FLUID,
WHEN THE WALL MOVES IN OR OUT,
IT PUSHES THAT CYLINDER
UP OR DOWN,
WHICH MOVES THIS BLUE FLUID
IN THE HOSE UP OR DOWN.
NOW, BECAUSE THE CYLINDER
IS ACTUALLY QUITE LARGE
AND THIS HOSE IS QUITE SMALL,
WE GET A LOT OF MOVEMENT
ON THE HOSE
THAT WE CAN SEE CLEARLY
WITH RELATIVELY LITTLE MOVEMENT
ON THE WALL.
Narrator: EACH WALL
AND THE ROOF IS COLOR-CODED,
SO THE BLUE WATER
RUNS UP A CLEAR TUBE
TO MATCH A CORRESPONDING COLOR
ON THE BIG BOARD.
THAT WAY, THEY CAN SEE
EXACTLY WHICH WALL
IS FEELING THE FORCE OF THE WIND
WITH WINDOWS OPEN OR CLOSED.
THIS STEEL BOX RIGHT HERE
IS OUR TEST PLATFORM
FOR MONITORING PRESSURES
ON A HOUSE
WHEN THE WINDOWS ARE OPEN
OR CLOSED IN A WINDSTORM.
IT'S GOT FOUR WINDOWS,
ONE ON EACH SIDE,
AND WE CAN OPEN THEM BY REMOVING
ANY WHICH ONES WE WANT.
Narrator: TIME TO TEST
THE RELATIVE PRESSURES
FROM SEVERAL
HURRICANE WINDOW SCENARIOS,
AND WE'LL KICK IT OFF
WITH A TOTAL LOCKDOWN.
Jamie: NOW, THIS TEST
IS WITH ALL WINDOWS CLOSED,
AND THIS WILL BE OUR BASELINE
FOR ALL THE OTHER TESTING.
Narrator:
KURT STARTS THE SUCTION,
RAISING THE WIND SPEED
IN AN INSTANT
TO 60 FEET PER SECOND.
THE TALE OF THE TURBULENCE
COULDN'T BE MORE CLEAR.
JAMIE, THERE YOU GO.
WITH ALL WINDOWS CLOSED,
THE FRONT WALL BORE
THE BRUNT OF THE BLAST,
THE ROOF BEGAN TO LIFT,
AND THE BLUE WATER WENT WILD.
THE ROOF IS LIFTING
JUST A LITTLE BIT.
THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT WE'D EXPECT.
I THINK WE'RE GOOD.
WE CAN BRING IT DOWN.
THAT'S PERFECT.
LET'S CUT IT.
Narrator: SO THEY STOP
THE MINI-HURRICANE,
RESETTING THE TINY HOUSE
WITH ALL WINDOWS OPEN.
Adam: SO, THE MYTH IS
THAT LEAVING YOUR WINDOWS OPEN
IN A HURRICANE
WILL RESULT IN LESS
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO YOUR HOUSE.
IF THIS MYTH IS TRUE,
WHEN WE RUN THIS TEST
WITH ALL THE WINDOWS
OF OUR TEST HOUSE OUT,
WE SHOULD SEE A LOT LESS
MOVEMENT OF ALL THE SIDES.
Narrator: ONCE AGAIN,
KURT CRANKS THE BREEZE
UP TO 60 FEET PER SECOND.
[ LAUGHS ]
AND THE MOVEMENT, AS PREDICTED,
IS MINIMAL.
THE WALLS AND THE WATER
BARELY BUDGE.
THAT'S COMING DOWN
JUST A HAIR.
YEAH.
A LOT LESS STRESS
WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN.
YEP.
SO WINDWARD SIDE PUSHED IN
8 1/2 INCHES.
A LOT LESS
THAN LAST TIME.
THE ROOF PUSHED UP
JUST A TINY BIT.
EVERYTHING WAS LESS.
EVERYTHING WAS LESS WITH THE
WINDOWS OPEN RATHER THAN CLOSED.
Narrator: AND THAT'S GOOD NEWS
FOR THE MYTH.
WITH ALL WINDOWS OPEN,
SOME OF THE WIND BLEW
CLEAN THROUGH THE HOUSE.
LESS PRESSURE
ON THE WALLS AND ROOF
SHOULD MEAN LESS DAMAGE.
BUT THIS TYPHOON TEST ISN'T
RESTRICTED TO ALL OR NOTHING.
NEXT.
ONLY THE WINDWARD WINDOW OPEN.
ALL THE OTHERS CLOSED.
ADAM AND JAMIE TRY OUT A RANGE
OF SINGLE-WINDOW OPTIONS.
FIRST, THEY JUST OPEN
THE ONE UP FRONT.
60 FEET A SECOND.
ZERO.
[ LAUGHS ]
THEN THEY TRY A SIDE WINDOW.
BEAUTIFUL!
AND FINALLY THEY REMOVE
THE ONE OUT BACK.
[ Aussie accent ] I FEEL LIKE
I'M BIRTHING A MECHANICAL COW.
BUT ALL WINDOWS OPEN IS STILL
BY FAR THE BEST OPTION.
[ Normal voice ] NOTHING,
NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING.
IT'S ALL
IN THAT FRONT SPACE.
YEAH.
I'VE SEEN EVERYTHING
I NEED TO SEE.
YOU WANT TO CALL IT?
YEAH.
ALL RIGHT.
Adam: THE SINGLE WORST THING
YOU CAN DO IN A WINDSTORM
IS OPEN THE WINDWARD-SIDE WINDOW
AND NONE OTHER.
YOUR HOUSE FEELS LIKE A BALLOON.
IT PUTS THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT
OF STRESS ON THE STRUCTURE.
IT TURNS OUT
THAT IN THIS TEST,
THE LEAST AMOUNT OF STRESS
ON YOUR HOUSE
WILL RESULT FROM YOU OPENING
ALL OF YOUR WINDOWS.
HMM.
