The University of Western Ontario in Canada has replaced the wind tunnel with pressure boxes to replicate the effects of a hurricane. It’s called the “Three Little Pigs” project and utilizes 70 pressure boxes that cover a two-story brick building. By exerting positive and negative pressures on the building’s exterior, researchers create rapid pressure variations that shake a building apart. The boxes expel and ingest air through valves, duplicating various pressure levels. NewScientist.com reports the project is intended to mirror the effects of a hurricane and mimic the realistic wind gusts. A house subjected to a wind tunnel depicts the eddies of a hurricane while the boxes detect the gustiness of storms. Fastcast: Just as hot, showers.
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