AIR Worldwide Collaborates with FIU to Enhance Understanding of Hurricane Vulnerabilities.BOSTON -- AIR Worldwide Corporation (AIR) announced today that it has collaborated with the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC IHRC Immigration History Research Center IHRC Islamic Human Rights Commission (UK) IHRC International Hurricane Research Center IHRC Indiana Horse Racing Commission IHRC Indian Human Resource Center IHRC Iranian Human Rights Consortium ) and the College of Engineering and Computing at Florida International University Florida International University, primarily at University Park, Miami; coeducational; chartered 1965, opened 1972. A research university, it has 18 colleges and schools and many specialized centers and institutes, including those in biomedical engineering, database (FIU FIU Florida International University FIU Financial Intelligence Unit FIU Fingerprint Identification Unit (Sony) FIU Fire Investigation Unit FIU Fraud Investigation Unit (UK) FIU Facsimile Interface Unit ), and will fund the installation of the "AIR Turntable A playback machine for vinyl phonograph records, which were a major music distribution medium throughout the 20th century. The turntable contains a rotating platter to hold and spin the disc and an arm that holds a cartridge and needle (stylus). " for the "RenaissanceRe Wall of Wind" (WOW) hurricane simulator. The AIR Turntable is a computer controlled, mechanical platform which will be used to better evaluate extreme wind loading conditions by facilitating the testing of buildings at different angles of attack. The AIR Turntable will be programmed to simulate directionality-change effects on test structures. "Just as the effective monitoring of car crash tests drastically changed automobile safety “Passive safety” redirects here. For nuclear safety, see Passive nuclear safety. Automobile safety is the avoidance of automobile accidents or the minimization of harmful effects of accidents, in particular as pertaining to human life and health. through the introduction of air bags, the IHRC research team intends to do the same for the housing industry through full-scale testing of buildings and their components," said Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, Director of the center. "The WOW testing aided by the capabilities of the AIR Turntable will revolutionize our residential and commercial construction and retrofitting practices and lead to more effective methods of strengthening buildings against extreme winds." The WOW structure includes an array of six industrial fans capable of replicating Category 4 hurricane conditions with winds up to 140 miles per hour. The simulation will allow scientists to study the impact of hurricane-force winds and wind-driven precipitation on a variety of building types and materials, as well as construction methods. The AIR Turntable is part of the WOW facility which is being constructed on the Engineering campus of Florida International University. The state-of-the art testing facility will enable full-scale structural testing. By eliminating scaling errors, full-scale testing provides a more realistic simulation, which is crucial to better understanding the effects of extreme winds on buildings, materials, and construction methods. Although several universities, private industries, and government laboratories have experimental and testing facilities for wind engineering, no other facility in the U.S. is currently capable of testing full-scale buildings to destruction. "AIR is committed to researching mitigation technologies in order to reduce the vulnerability of properties in extreme wind events such as hurricanes," said Jayanta Guin, senior vice president of research and modeling at AIR Worldwide. "The findings from this research project should lead to improved mitigation strategies and better building methods, which will ultimately help reduce economic losses from future catastrophes." The testing facility is slated to be completed in late Summer 2007. The WOW project is also supported by Renaissance Reinsurance The contract made between an insurance company and a third party to protect the insurance company from losses. The contract provides for the third party to pay for the loss sustained by the insurance company when the company makes a payment on the original contract. (RenaissanceRe) Holdings Ltd. and the State of Florida Division of Emergency Management The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) is charged with maintaining a comprehensive statewide program of emergency management. The division is responsible for coordination with efforts of the Federal Government with other departments and agencies of state government, (FLDEM FLDEM Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia ). About AIR Worldwide Corporation AIR Worldwide Corporation (AIR) is a leading risk modeling company helping clients manage the financial impact of catastrophes and weather. Utilizing the latest science and technology, AIR models natural catastrophes in more than 40 countries and the risk from terrorism in the United States A common definition of terrorism is the systematic use or threatened use of violence to intimidate a population or government and thereby effect political, religious, or ideological change. . Other areas of expertise include site-specific seismic engineering analysis, catastrophe bonds, and property replacement cost valuation. An ISO (1) See ISO speed. (2) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.ch) An organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. The U.S. member body is ANSI. business, AIR was founded in 1987 to provide its insurance, reinsurance, corporate, and government clients a complete line of risk modeling software and consulting services that produce consistent and reliable results. Headquartered in Boston, AIR has additional offices in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.air-worldwide.com. About the International Hurricane Research Center The International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) is an interdisciplinary research center focused on the mitigation of hurricane damage to people, the economy, and the built and natural environment. Established by the State Legislature A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: About the College of Engineering and Computing at FIU Florida International University is one of the 25 largest universities in the U.S. and is ranked as a Research University in the High Research Activity category of the Carnegie Foundation's prestigious classification system. The College of Engineering and Computing at FIU offers more than 30 degrees through its baccalaureate, master and doctoral programs. It is ranked within the top 50 Universities producing engineers at the master's level in the US. |
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