Articles
I Feel the Need, the Need for Speed
I Feel the Need, the Need for Speed Oct 18, 2019 In my humble opinion, the Movie Top Gun is one of the best movies of all time. One of the best parts is when Tom Cruise says “I feel the need, the need for speed”. It’s not just a great line, it also applies…
Shining light on Windows and Doors
Shining light on Windows and Doors Sep 19, 2019 Calculating pressures on windows and doors is one of the most common operations performed in MecaWind, and so we thought we would make a brief video to explain the way to calculate Components and Cladding (C&C). We also show some tips for new features in C&C. Calculate…
Welcome to our Damping Pad
Welcome to our Damping Pad Sep 19, 2019 When a vortex shedding problem exists on a stack, sometimes the most economical option is a damping pad. What is a damping pad? A damping pad is a preformed laminated fabric pad of a manufactured material composed of layers of tightly twisted, closely woven lightweight material. Each…
Florida Building Code 2017 Wind Loads
Florida Building Code 2017 Wind Loads Aug 23, 2019 Update: The Florida Building Code 2020 was adopted in 2021 We have added the Florida Building Code 2017 Wind Loads to our software, MecaWind (Pro feature), and this gave us an opportunity to get familar with the Florida Building Code 2017. We wanted to take a moment to explain…
How to Determine Damping
How to Determine Damping Jul 26, 2019 We can all grasp the physical attributes of a stack such as the height, weight, diameters, etc.; however, what is the stack’s structural damping? Does MecaStack estimate the damping of the stack? Is there any harm in just arbitrarily changing the damping value? Damping Basics: To answer this question we…
Getting High on Wind
Getting High on Wind Jul 26, 2019 I am an amateur cyclist, and I typically ride my bike on trails in my home of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma at an elevation of 700 ft [213 m]. One year I took my bike on a vacation to Breckenridge, Colorado at an elevation of 9,000 ft [2743 m]. …
MecaWind is like Driving a Car
MecaWind is like Driving a Car Apr 5, 2019 The new MecaWind release provides a new way to select the method used for the Main Wind Force Resisting System (MWFRS) and the Components and Cladding (C&C). The results can be different based upon the MWFRS method and C&C method selected. The question now is which…
Getting Twisted about Helical Strakes
Getting Twisted about Helical Strakes Jun 25, 2019 If you have a vortex shedding problem on a stack, then in some cases helical strakes are your best option; however, there are other cases where helical strakes are not the best option. When not to use Helical Strakes? If there is another stack (or tall structure) that is…