Review of the Need for a Large-Scale Test Facility for Research on the Effects of Extreme Winds on Structures (Compass Series)

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has proposed that a large-scale wind test facility (LSWTF) be constructed to study, in full-scale, the behavior of low-rise structures under simulated extreme wind conditions. To determine the need for, and potential benefits of, such a facility, the Idaho Operations Office of the DOE requested that the National Research Council (NRC) perform an independent assessment of the role and potential value of an LSWTF in the overall context of wind engineering research. The NRC established the Committee to Review the Need for a Large-scale Test Facility for Research on the Effects of Extreme Winds on Structures, under the auspices of the Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment, to perform this assessment. This report conveys the results of the committee's deliberations as well as its findings and recommendations. Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive Summary1 Introduction2 Technical Aspects of a Large-scale Wind Test Facility3 Economic Considerations4 Findings and RecommendationsReferencesAppendixesA Biographies of Committee MembersB Questionnaire, Respondents, and Synthesis of ResponsesAcronyms