How does varying roof angle affect lift in wind

In summary, a grade 11 student is working on a project to investigate how roof angle affects lift and its potential to reduce injury in storms. The student is considering using cardboard to create house models but is concerned about its accuracy in representing actual house materials. Suggestions include using architectural foam board and keeping the models simple by choosing a symmetrical house. The potential impact of changing roof pitch on the usable floor area in houses with rooms in the roof is also discussed.
  • #1
barca12345
10
0
Hello guys!

New here. Grade 11 student.

I'm working on a project to investigate how roof angle relative to the horizontal vary with lift, according to Bernoulli's principal. The purpose is to reduce injury in storms.

Problems are:
Wind blows in all direction and I was thinking about controlling it to horizontal wind but then this might reduce the worthiness of the investigation.

I believe that the larger the angle, the lower the lift? So the optimum angle of the lowest lift would just be 89 degrees?

I'm thinking of using cardboards to make the house models, but cardboards don't reflect actual house materials?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
 
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  • #2
I wouldn't worry about cardboard not being representative but I'd probably use "Architectural foam board" instead. Easier to make a rigid model.

I think there is a danger of having too many models to build and options to test. Best keep it simple and pick a symmetrical house.

Changing the roof pitch will change the height of the ridge. It might be worth testing to see if pitch matters more than height but that's more models to build.

If the house has rooms in the roof space then changing the pitch changes the usable floor area (eg floor area with sufficient head room to stand up in). Designers can correct for this by making the house taller or bigger to keep the usable floor area constant. So this begs the question...when you change the roof pitch should you aim to keep the usable floor area constant? Personally I'd ignore this and stick to comparing houses without rooms in the roof. However if you were doing a more serious study it might be an important issue because houses that use the roof space can be smaller.
 

Related to How does varying roof angle affect lift in wind

1. How does the angle of a roof affect wind lift?

The angle of a roof can greatly affect the amount of lift generated by wind. A steeper roof angle will create more lift compared to a flatter roof. This is because the wind is able to flow more smoothly over the surface of a steeper roof, creating a lower pressure area on the top side of the roof which results in lift.

2. Does a higher roof angle always result in more lift?

No, a higher roof angle does not always result in more lift. While a steeper roof angle will generally create more lift, there are other factors at play such as the shape and design of the roof. For example, a curved roof may generate more lift than a flat roof with the same angle.

3. How does varying roof materials affect lift in wind?

The type of material used for a roof can also affect the amount of lift generated by wind. Generally, smoother materials like metal or fiberglass will create more lift compared to rougher materials like shingles. This is because smoother surfaces allow for smoother airflow, resulting in a larger pressure difference and more lift.

4. Is there an optimal roof angle for maximum wind lift?

There is no one optimal roof angle for maximum wind lift. The ideal angle will depend on a variety of factors such as the shape and design of the roof, the location and direction of the wind, and the surrounding environment. In some cases, a flatter roof angle may be more effective at generating lift than a steeper one.

5. How can I experiment with different roof angles to see their effects on lift?

One way to experiment with different roof angles is to use a wind tunnel. By building small scale models of different roof designs and testing them in a wind tunnel, you can observe and measure the lift generated at different angles. Another option is to use computer simulations or conduct real-life experiments with full-scale roofs, but these may be more complex and expensive processes.

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