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TrusSteel Presents at CFSEI Conference |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dave Goodwin
National Marketing Director
TrusSteel, An ITW Company
888-565-6171
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ENGINEERS ANALYZE AWARD-WINNING WIND TUNNEL PROJECT IN PAPER PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE COLD-FORMED STEEL ENGINEERS INSTITUTE
May 27, 2010 - Atlanta, GA - Sowri Rajan, P.E. (Alpine Structural Consultants, Haines City, FL) delivered a paper today at the annual Conference of the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute in which he described the involvement of his engineering team in the design of the state-of-the-art wind tunnel test facility at the new Freightliner Research Center in Portland, OR.
In the autumn of 2003, Rajan experienced one of those times that engineers dream about: the opportunity to work on a truly innovative structural design for a state-of-the-art research facility.
Designing a wind tunnel enclosure large enough to test full-size over-the-road tractor-trailer rigs is unusual enough. Getting to design a space frame for the structure - using CFS trusses - pushed the job into the "wow" range.
"As an engineer, the challenges of the job were rewarding" relates Rajan. "Even more rewarding was the recognition of the design by the CFSEI as the winner of their first-ever Innovative Design Award." Rajan and TrusSteel Chief Engineer Bill Babich, P.E., accepted the award at the 2008 CFSEI meetings, held in Baltimore, MD during Metalcon.
Combinations of trusses were engineered to create the roof, floor and walls of the 80 foot-long tunnel. The frames at the opening of the tunnel began at 57 feet wide by 52 feet tall and tapered down throughout the throat of the tunnel to 32 feet by 24 feet by the time the intake portion entered the lab. The frames bear on two wide flange beams extended out over the Willamette River.
The 12,000 square foot tunnel, with an interior of fiberboard and steel reinforced Plexiglas walls, employs ten large fans on one end to pull air from its open end, which extends out over the Swan Island Lagoon. The fans, with a combined 25,000 horsepower, can generate wind speeds of 65 MPH. Disruptions of air flow and load factors that the wind places on the vehicles are measured by a host of computers and gauges. Freightliner has used its research to design a truck that boasts a 15 per cent reduction in air drag and a 5 per cent reduction of fuel use. Additional research will investigate cab noise reduction, improved brake cooling and other issues.
As the reporter for Fleet Owner, a trade publication for the trucking industry, characterized the design of the wind tunnel, "It’s pretty ingenious!”
Alpine Structural Consultants is a unit of TrusSteel, An ITW Company. ASC is based in Haines City, FL.
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