The Iowa Stater
November 2000
Storm watch
Partha Sarkar wants to bring winds of change to Iowa State. Before coming
to campus last August, Sarkar helped design and build a one-of-a-kind wind
tunnel at Texas Tech University. Now, as holder of the Grace Miller Wilson
and T.A. Wilson Endowed Engineering Chair, he plans to build a world-class
wind tunnel complex in Howe Hall. "I call it a wind tunnel complex rather than just a wind tunnel because I am hoping to build something that is multi-purpose," said Sarkar, associate professor in aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics.
"I want to simulate different kinds of wind - not just regular wind, but wind that changes speed and direction very fast, as in hurricanes and thunderstorms, or becomes a vortex, as in tornadoes," Sarkar said.
Sarkar is interested in measuring the effects of dynamic wind on structures. Much of his past research focused on the effects of wind on low-rise buildings and vibration of flexible structures.
"The field is very exciting and has a great future," Sarkar said. "If you count the total damage caused by natural disasters in this country, 70 percent is caused by wind, and a considerable amount of that is due to tornadoes and thunderstorms. That's why I'm interested in simulating this kind of wind."
The Wilson Chair was established with a $1 million gift from T.A. Wilson, former CEO of the Boeing Co., and his wife Grace.