Understanding Models

Understanding Models — page 3 — Your fictional skyscraper was unable to withstand the effects of high wind but real skyscrapers can Long before building begins engineers test their designs in wind tunnels Airflow in and around the building is studied and analyzed for stability Engineers use a technique called Schlieren photography to study supersonic airflow around aircraft in wind tunnels 6

Understanding Models — page 4 — DID YOU KNOW NASA uses wind tunnels and water tunnels to test the aerodynamics of vehicles in flight In water tunnels blue red and green dyes in the water help scientists predict how air would flow over an aircraft In 1920 the first wind tunnel was built at Langley Research Center A screened air intake assured a steady flow of air 7

Understanding Models — page 5 — The Turning Torso Residential Tower in Malmö Sweden is a 54-story skyscraper with a shape distinctly its own Inspired by the backbone of the human body the tower twists to mimic the spine of a person twisting his body Malmö Sweden is an extremely windy place and the creative design of the tower does not follow the usual time-tested shape for tall buildings so high winds could have been cause for concern But residents of the tower have no reason to worry The building’s designers tested a scale model of it in a wind tunnel at the University of Western Ontario Based on these tests designers predict that even in a storm with a wind force of 98 mph 44 mps the building would move only 1 foot 30 cm slowly at its summit 8

Understanding Models — page 6 — The Turning Torso Residential Tower is constructed of nine pentagons stacked on top of each other From bottom to top the tower twists 90 degrees 9

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