The development of a field measurement instrumentation system for low-rise construction

In the last three decades several comprehensive field measurement programs have producedrnsignificant insight into the wind effects on low-rise structures. The most notable and well published ofrnthese efforts are measurements being collected at the Wind Engineering Field Laboratory (WERFL) atrnTexas Tech University, measurements on low-rise structures in Silsoe, England and measurements onrngroups of low-rise structures collected in Aylesbury, England. Complementary to these efforts, anrnadditional full-scale field investigation program has recently collected meteorological, pressure, strain andrndisplacement data on a low-rise structure in Southern Shores, North Carolina. To date over seventy-fivernhundred data sets have been collected at the Southern Shores site in a variety meteorological conditionsrnup to and including hurricane-force winds. This paper provides details of the system, its development, andrnpreliminary assessment of its performance. A description of the field site, the instrumented structure, andrnthe instrumentation system is provided. In addition, an example of the data collected during threernhurricanes is presented. The primary goal of this paper is to provide the reader with the necessaryrntechnical details to appropriately interpret data from this experiment, which will be presented in futurernpublications currently under development.