Cyclone Testing Station
The Cyclone Testing Station (CTS) is the pre-eminent independent authority on the performance of buildings in severe wind events. CTS is located at James Cook University in Townsville and focuses primarily on the performance of houses and other low rise buildings in Australia and the surrounding region. Activities include investigations after wind events as well as research, testing and community education, aimed at ensuring that buildings designed to resist severe wind events are safe, economical and sustainable.
CTS wishes to thank its benefactors and sponsors for their ongoing support of its activities. Click here for a list of CTS Benefactors and Sponsors.
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Recent Cyclones
For TC Debbie, the CTS deployed six SWIRLnet towers in the region to measure wind speeds impacting our homes. The preliminary report is available on our SWIRLnet page or here for just the preliminary report. Our CTS damage investigation teams have just returned from a week in the Bowen, Proserpine and Airlie Beach area.
A recent technical bulletin advising there could be possible hidden damage within roof structures has been released and can be found here on our Technical Alerts page
Flashings
Recent CTS damage investigations have highlighted problems with flashing details on buildings, leading to water ingress and often significant internal damage. The house on the left has lost a flashing on the windward wall. The house on the right illustrates the internal damage that can result from a lost flashing.
Roof flashings appear to be a particular problem but issues have also been identified with poor flashing detail around doors and windows.The issues are not isolated to one state or local area, with flashing problems observed after Cyclone Marcia in Queensland and after Cyclone Olwyn in Western Australia.
The Cyclone Testing Station recommends that suppliers of flashing materials and suppliers of materials that require flashing ensure that proposed detailing has been fully documented and properly evaluated and that clear and detailed installation literature is readily available. It is also recommends that any documentation indicates whether the proposed flashing detail is adequate for cyclonic areas.
The Cyclone Testing Station further recommends that designers, specifiers, builders and certifiers pay particular attention to flashing detail, to ensure that what is otherwise quality construction is not compromised by poor flashing detail.
The CTS has NATA accreditation for testing services. Please contact us for further details.
