"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...
According to Kris Krieger :
"Don" wrote in
:

As far as I know that structural fabric you mentioned is not valid
regarding the hurricane code, it won't stop the wind.

I certainly didn't see how it would stop anything significant. It wasn't
Kevlar or anything like that.

A couple of weeks ago I saw a Discovery channel segment on "hurricane
proofing" houses against projectiles. While it focused primarily
on walls themselves, some of the lessons it gave are useful with
windows. This was a formal study I think done by a department
covering "building science" at a US university IIRC.

Their test environment was a air canon shooting 2x4s lengthwise
at varying speeds at building envelope mockups.

Short of reinforced poured concrete (or presumably steel armor plate
;-), none of the rigid envelopes could stand up to a 125MPH 2x4. Even
(unfilled) cinderblock punctured. As did premanufactured
"hurricane shields" made out of fiberglass, and ordinary "stick
frame" with plywood sheathing and (even) brick veneer.

They quite simply shattered.

The one thing that did pass the test was a wall built up with
relatively ordinary stick construction with a heavy fiber
mesh layer. While the siding and sheathing punctured, the
mesh provided enough "give" to slow the projectile down and
prevent it from drilling all the way through the wall.

Conceptually, then, an appropriately engineered fabric (or mesh) _could_
protect windows, provided that (a) it was installed in such a way to
give the fabric "enough room" to operate (eg: suspended quite a bit out
from the window and firmly anchored so it can't bow in as far
as the window), (b) fine enough mesh to stop dangerously sized
projectiles and (c) it was installed at the time ;-)

Then again, ordinary windows normally won't stand up to the
air pressure differentials, so you have to improve the windows
anyway.

Another TV show.
sigh
Dood, I've designed THOUSANDS of homes in SW Florida, where the code is
minimal 130mph and has been for years.
The specific homes I design are custom, 3 stories or better, 4000 sf or
larger, on barrier islands, stick built.
Turn the toob off and fraternize with some REAL people that live in the REAL
world.
sheesh........where do these people come from?.....raised on TEEVEE........