Maximum Sustained Wind Recorded

Wondering if anyone has data on this. What is the maximum sustained winds that has ever been recorded with a SWS? Anyone have high readings without failure? If there is failure, what was the highest reading before failure? I’m testing a mobile platform, routinely will have gusts of 100mph. Wanting to know limitations before failure and having equipment scattered all over a highway or in someones windshield. Not sure what maximums these are tested to in wind tunnels but this will have vehicle speed + actual wind speed and gusts.

It will depend on how you mount it. The point of failure will not be the Sky device. I will be your mount.

2 Likes

It’s on a welded aluminum pipe bolted to the roof… The mount won’t fail, I’m worried about the plastic mount on the sensor failing in turbulent 100+mph winds. It hasn’t been tested like this before, so I don’t think super sturdy mount when I think of plastic PVC rings. But, there is only one way to find out I suppose!

I don’t think it’ll break that easy with the wind? What you for sure can do it tape the base and joint parts. That will prevent from twist unlocking already. Also is the joint between your pole and station good enough. Can’t it slide off with enough vibrations ? Maybe also have some tape (chatterton) on the aluminium pole and slide the mount over it. Tape wont slide under any conditions.

2 Likes

Eric, thanks for the tip on the tape. I have noticed that sometimes the sensors slide around on the pipes but nothing that had me originally concerned. I may add some electrical tape to the pipes for safety. All joints of the aluminum frame are welded in place. The whole frame is welded, even the “elbows” that hold the equipment. The base of the aluminum frame is bolted to the roof rack of the vehicle.

I know the Sky can handle 87mpj wind without stress. I would think it could double that.

I don’t think it could handle nearly 180mph winds. That’s an EF4 tornado. Houses can’t survive that.

1 Like

Now if Paul swapped out that Forerunner for a McLaren, he just might be able to test the 180mph theory…

1 Like

When racing starts up again, perhaps Weatherflow could get NASCAR, IndyCar, or a dragster to mount a test unit on a vehicle for a test run – and video the moment at which the unit failed. On the other hand, think of the weather data that a unit could supply a race team!

Of course, this would never be allowed in actual races by either the controlling organizations nor the car owners.

2 Likes

I know a guy…

Think about it… 8 SWS’s on the car… one at each corner, one middle front, one middle back, 2 on the roof… airflow without a wind tunnel. Genius!

2 Likes

Sky was tested up to 110 mph in a wind tunnel, I do think same was done for Tempest though I have no trace of it.
@PaulStofer you asked the same question on Facebook and you got that answer there and that for cat5 storms you’d have to go to the other type off stations (though just a tat more expensive :grin:)

2 Likes

Eric, yessir. Driving at 75-80mph + actual winds say of 30-40mph. Plus the turbulence of other vehicles, etc… I just don’t want it to come flying off and destroy the unit, or injure another motorist. I’ve done about all I can to secure it, so now it is testing. I’ve got up to 50mph and it held up well so far. Previous seasons I’ve been using the RM Young 05103 which secures via hose clamp, but I wanted to test this out this season. I’m very excited about WeatherFlows equipment capabilities, but never used a PVC / plastic lock ring to hold down a station that will produce this kind of drag or resistance. (Definitely not the intended purpose of this equipment!) I’ll use what you suggested with the tape to attempt to prevent any type of slipping. The air unit should be fine as I don’t think it can break free anyway due to the shield mounted above it preventing it from coming off the pipe.

1 Like

Says the person who never wore both hats at a track event. :checkered_flag:

Unfortunately, everything in my race vehicle collection tops out at upper Cat-4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale…

You are correct, vreihen. I’ve never been an anything at a track event.

I was going on how tightly the rules and inspections seem to be in NASCAR where a team can fail because a fender is infinitesimally too wide, etc. In thinking now, however, they’ve added camera posts so why not a weather station to give temperature, humidity, etc. at different places on the track?

NASCAR-type stock cars are extremely touchy in terms of aerodynamics…especially in groups. No way would they let teams carry weather sensors, except maybe on private/group testing days! If you have ever worked a corner at a race track, you would know how much the passing cars would impact getting meaningful data out of a track-side sensor. Remember, NASCAR only started allowing that new-fangled fuel injection stuff and even gas gauges a few years ago. Unlike Formula1, NASCAR is not big on live data.

Many racing series these days are spec racers, where cars need to fit inside templates and are ballasted to the ounce. I worked post-race impound for a Formula 500 run group once, and we had to weigh the drivers in full gear and put EVERY car on the scales in both directions and report the average car weight plus the driver’s weight. We even had to inspect/report that all tire manufacturer and competition series contingency decals were on every car in the correct locations and orientations.

Some place on the web there used to be a video of me racing a golf cart against a bicycle around Pocono Raceway between heats, from back in the days before my mean doctors took away my racing hobby…

3 Likes

I miss these days.

2 Likes

It’s not just upper level racing, that goes all the way down to kart racing. Years ago I ran the electronic scoring for the Elkhart Street Race and the ESPN Friday Night TV racing series. High end kart racing is no joke, seen Fittipaldi, Senna and other F1 racers in the shifter class at the Elkhart race. Lots of regs to keep engines, tires, fairings, weights, etc equal. This was 20+ years ago but even in the lowly “Briggs” class, podium winners had to tear down their engines after the race to have them inspected.

1 Like

Think Beaufort scale. the pressure goes up by the square of the wind speed. So doubling the force from an 87 mph wind would ocur at 123 mph.

2 Likes

here another video releases by Weatherflow