Engineering Commons^™

The Effects Of Hurricane Wind Field Characteristics On Wind Blade Loads, Michael S. Tsai

Masters Theses

Over recent years, offshore wind energy has been growing around the world. This necessitates placing wind turbines directly in or near the oceans where hurricanes can be. Previous research has suggested that hurricane wind veer and direction change can have adverse loading effects on the turbine. Such effects can create damage to the blade or worsen existing ones. Currently, there is no known design standard for addressing wind veer and direction change specifically from hurricanes. Quantifying the loading contribution from these phenomena is not abundant either.

This thesis seeks to demonstrate a proposed procedure for defining design veer profiles and …

Probability-Based Hurricane Resilience Evaluation And Retrofitting For Residential Community, Yadong Dong

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Wood residential construction is vulnerable to hurricanes, as evident in recent hurricane events. Many studies indicated that the changing climate may very likely alter hurricane patterns, which could lead to more severe hurricane damage to the wood residential construction that accounts for 90% of the residence in the USA. On the other hand, deterioration of material increases the chance of structural failure by reducing the structural capacity (e.g., corrosion of fasteners in roof panel could significantly reduce the withdrawal capacity of the roofing structure during hurricane events).

Currently, most hurricane damage estimations only focus on direct loss (e.g., structural loss). …

Risk-Based Assessment And Strengthening Of Electric Power Systems Subjected To Natural Hazards, Abdullahi Salman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Modern economic and social activities are dependent on a complex network of infrastructure systems that are highly interdependent. Electric power systems form the backbone of such complex network as most civil infrastructure systems cannot function properly without reliable power supply. Electric power systems are vulnerable to extensive damage due to natural hazards, as evident in recent hazard events. Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornados and other natural hazards have caused billions of dollars in direct losses due to damage to power systems and indirect losses due to power outages, as well as social disruption. There is, therefore, a need for a comprehensive …