The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, September 23, 1981, Image 6

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    ide 6 THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1981
Local
Vo alarm — its a simulation
Streets get 200 mph winds
A 200 mph wind whipping
irough downtown streets might
^rinally be alarming, but it’s all
the name of science at Texas
&M University, where skyscrap-
;s 'are measured in inches, not
ef, and the wind comes from the
propellor of a World War II
bomber.
The high winds generated from
a B-29 propellor are blown across
miniature cities to give Texas
A&M researchers information on
how proposed buildings will fare
against the blustery forces of the
Southwest.
Entire downtown sections of
Dallas, Houston, Tulsa and other
cities have been recreated in the
wind tunnel laboratories of the
Texas Engineering Experiment
Station, a research arm of the uni
versity system.
The scale-model cities are
placed on a rotating pad inside
TEES’ largest wind tunnel where
they are subjected to winds from
every direction. Sensors inside
the test building transmit informa
tion to a bank of computers
nearby.
In a recent project, researchers
tested the Continental Center, a
39-story office building scheduled
for constuction next year in down-
CAMPUS THEATRE
846-6512
NOW SHOWING 7:40 9:50
Bill Murray In
“STRIPES”
STARTING FRIDAY
SPECIAL MIDNIGHT PREVIEW Thurs. Just $1.50
town Houston. Hundreds of sen
sors placed inside a specially de
signed mock-up of the proposed
building took readings as winds
were pulled across a 25-block area
of downtown Houston.
Similar tests also were con
ducted prior to construction of
Dallas’ Reunion Tower.
Dr. Dave Norton, an aerospace
engineering professor who leads
the project, said wind tunnel test
ing is a growing practice for prop
osed multi-story buildings and un-
usaully shaped structures. Data
gathered by Norton and TEES en
gineers is given to architects and
structural engineers involved in a
building’s construction.
“We don’t tell our clients what
to build,’’ Norton said. “But we do
give them a lot of information, and
from that engineers do such things
as increase or decrease strength of
windows.
“Construction is so expensive
today that builders are looking for
every possible edge. With our
data, they can decide, for inst
ance, what thickness of glass is
needed on each floor. Glass alone
can be very expensive.”
Before actual testing, Norton
and research engineer John Ribbe
physically walk almost every
square foot of ground to be in
cluded in the models. They must
find heights of each existing build
ing and check city maps for accura
cy to be sure no buildings have
been erected or torn down since
the mapping.
In College Station, technicians
for TEES’ Environmental
Aerodynamics Laboratory build
Dr. Dave Norton, director of the Environ
mental Aerodynamics Laboratory, checks
a building model used in wind tunnel stress
tests. The photo was taken over the summer,
the model, using wood and Styr
ofoam for all but the test building.
The test building is constructed of
aluminum. When complete, the
model represents an accurate
three-dimensional view of the
city.
Tests simulate storms that
might occur once every 50 to 100
years. Wind in the tunnel is suck
ed past the model instead of blown
because it allows more accurate
measurements, Norton said.
Because of the growing interest
in wind engineering, Norton has
designed a new wind tunnel that
currently is under construction at
the university’s research center
near Bryan. The new tunnel will
better simulate the Earth’s atmos
phere and be more specifically
constructed for testing of build
ings and offshore platforms.
TEES to host conference
for project researchers
Appearing
LIVE
Wednesday
Night
Irish Melodies by
“CASWEL CARNAHAN”
Cover H 1
00
4410 College Main
846-943S
TheApeIHan
BO DEREK-RICHARD
HARRIS
Rj-gp-MGM United Aitists
TODAY 5:15 7:25 9:45
CORNER OF UNIV / COLLEGE
AVE ADULT %2 00 FIRST 30 MIN
FROM OPENING
Ducftey Moore
Liza Minnelli
Arthur
PG 4TH BIG WEEK!
TODAY 5:30 7:35 9:35
By SHERYLON JENKINS
Battalion Reporter
The Texas Engineering Experi
ment Station Thursday will hold a
research conference on the Texas
A&M University campus to dis
cuss recent TEES research pro
jects.
Researchers will present 40
technical papers dealing with
topics such as reduced fuel con
sumption, aerial photographic
analysis of coastal regions and
potential for treating domestic
wastewater for reuse.
Dr. Jane Armstrong, assistant
to the TEES director, said the goal
of the conference is to bring
together people to share their
ideas and their resources.
“Too often we get in our own
little offices and we re all working
like little rats and nobody knows
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
BECCI EGGLESTON
LET YOUR SCHLITZ COLLEGE REP BE YOUR CAMPUS
CONTACT FOR PARTY PLANNING AND FOR SPECIAL
PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR.
FOR INFORMATION CALL:
G. F. Sousares Distributing
779-0208
JOS. SCHLITZ BREWING COMPANY, Brewers of:
timl Pilsner fleer
ERLANGER
C'ld*jnr M91
BEER
© 1980 JOS. SCHLITZ BREWING CO . MILWAUKEE, WIS AND OTHER GREAT CITIES
MSC Cepheid Variable
THURS., SEPT. 24
7:30 10:00
Rudder Theatre (R) $1.50
what’s being done next door to
us,” she said.
Texas A&M Regent Joe C.
Richardson Jr. will be the keynote
speaker for the conference. His
topic will be “Create or Crater.’
Richardson, Class of ’49, is an
independent oil and gas producer
in Amarillo. He earned his bache
lor’s degree in petroleum en
gineering.
Prior to serving on the Board of
Regents, Richardson was
appointed by Gov. Bill Clements
to the Interstate Oil Compact
Commission. Richardson also has
served on boards of directors for
the R. L. Burns Corp. of Indiana,
Consolidated Oil and Gas Inc. of
Denver and the Corporate Sys
tems Corp. of Amarillo.
The 40 technical papers to be
presented were selected through
a process that began with invita
tions to researchers.
Armstrong said letters were
sent out to everyone in the Col
lege of Engineering and to all
TEES employees, inviting them
to send abstracts of completed re
search and research in progress to
be reviewed by the program com
mittee. Of the 55 papers received,
Armstrong said, 40 were chosen
on the basis of general interest to
engineering research faculty.
Topics have been grouped into
two three-hour slots. Topics sche
duled for the period between 9:30
a.m. and 12:30 p.m. are: transpor
tation-related research, fluid
mechanics, materials 1 and ther
mal physical processes. Between
2-5 p.m. papers on remote sens
ing, modeling and control, mate
rials 2 and transport processeswi!
be presented.
Some of the researchers, Arm
strong said, are coming from
places as close to College Station
as Galveston and Prairie View and
as far as Portland, Oregon.
August 1980 was the first time
the conference was held. Arm
strong named several improve
ments that have been made for
this year’s conference. One such
improvement is an increase in the
number of papers to be discussed
— 40 as opposed to last year’s 15.
Also, the conference will last an
entire day as opposed to last year’s
half-day conference.
Students, faculty and staff may
attend the conference free.
However, there is a registration
fee of $25 for all others. Registra
tion is from 1-5 p.m. Wednesday
on the second floor of Rudder
Tower.
A social hour will begin at
p. m. and a barbecue is scheduled
for 7 p.m. Both events will beal
the Wofford Cain Pool.
WEIGHT WATCHERS*
PARTY AND
HOLIDAY
COOKBOOK
($7.95 VALUE) ,
ONLY
$3.90!
5TH
ANNIVERSARY
IN COLLEGE
STATIONI
822-7303
$4.00
DISCOUNT!
ON REGISTRATION AND
FIRST MEETING FEE
OFFER ENDS
SEPTEMBER 30, 1981
fgood only with this ad
IN PARTICIPATING
AREAS
FREE
365-DAY MENU
COOKBOOK
($14.95 VALUE)
after 12
'classes. Ask
for details.
THUR.
5:15 P.M.
LUTHERAN
STUDENT CTR
315 N.
COLLEGE MAIN
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT LOSS
PROGRAM IN THE WORLD
^Weight Watchers Inn Inc. 1981
OFF CAMPUS CENTER TESTIMONIAL #1
When 1 was a new
Off Campus Student
— I was confused!
^4
So I went to the Off
Campus Center.
I read their brochures
and handouts. I asked
for their advice.
I was
having
trouble
with my
roommate.
They really helped! Here
are the services they
offer. . .
Housing Information
Roommate Locator
Service
Roommate counseling
Help with landlord
problems
Car Pool Referral
Service
General Off Campus
Information
My landlord and
I couldn’t see
eye to eye.
Now, thanks
to them.
I’m a happy,
well adjusted
Off Campus
Student —
For an Aggie
that is.
1 needed a way
to get to school.
THE
OFF CAMPUS CENTER
PURYEAR HALL
ACROSS FROM THE
YMCA BLDG.
845-1741
OPEN 8-5
MONDAY-FRIDAY
A Service of the Department
of Student Affairs.