Any Engineers Out There?..

[other dog]

I've got this carport

And when the wind blows it sways back and forth probably 6-8 inches at the top.

Today I got in the big green International that runs now and it swayed over against the door so tight I couldn't even move the door.

 

It's normally about this far away.

 

So I'm wondering if I should ignore it, or add some braces to stiffen it up some, or take take some pieces of the siding off so the wind can blow through. Anybody got any thoughts?

 

[mrsmackpaul]

Dunno, can't see no photos here to add comments to

 

Paul 

[other dog]

Just now, mrsmackpaul said:

Dunno, can't see no photos here to add comments to

 

Paul 

I somehow made a double post and I tried to delete one, but that seems to have failed too.

[mrsmackpaul]

Tiz a bugger getting old and technology beating us ha ha 

 

Lots of braces needed to stop movement 

 

Paul

[Vladislav]

Yup. Or just cross ropes. 

I mean for instance a steel (SS or galvanized) cord put from front lower to back upper corners with screw tie ups incorporated. A couple to each side and a pair crossing each other at the back end. 

Sorry I'm blind posting the advice, can't see the pics.

[Freightrain]

Go back and edit and erase the extra link codes, that should help with the pictures.  The codes are piggybacked .  Go to the "jpg" and erase after it in each line.

I agree with Vlad.  Get some 3/16" steel cable and some hooks and some turn buckles.  Go diagonal along the sides and across the ends.  That should stiffen it.

That is how real steel buildings are erected.  Our shop has them except they are like 3/4" rods.  Big.  And on windy days they clank as the building moves.

[mowerman]

No suggestion in your issue sorry tom good luck … but I did delete a tread before… I didn’t have any trouble.. but I don’t remember what I did 

[other dog]

I did what Larry suggested and it looks like the pictures are back, I haven't put any cables in the carport yet. I was thinking of putting an X brace in the far end, never considered the sides.

[other dog]

Just now, mowerman said:

No suggestion in your issue sorry tom good luck … but I did delete a tread before… I didn’t have any trouble.. but I don’t remember what I did 

I thought I had too, I was thinking when you tapped "edit" it gave you the option to "delete post" too, but I guess not.

[mowerman]

Ya I think sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t 

[mowerman]

I remember I think TJC corrected something I did wrong  or maybe mark T 

[Geoff Weeks]

Closing off the back end will help as well as keeping debris from blow in. Cables in an X with turnbuckles to tension will do a good job as well.  Closed back end with X cables would be the best.

[tjc transport]

and some holes drilled in the sides to releive wind pressure would not be a bad idea either.

[other dog]

24 minutes ago, Geoff Weeks said:

Closing off the back end will help as well as keeping debris from blow in. Cables in an X with turnbuckles to tension will do a good job as well.  Closed back end with X cables would be the best.

I didn't want to close it off completely, I asked the guy when he put it up if it was going to take off like a kite the first time the wind blew.

He said "no, that's only when you close them in".

[other dog]

19 minutes ago, tjc transport said:

and some holes drilled in the sides to releive wind pressure would not be a bad idea either.

I was thinking 🤔 of just taking some of the side panels off. If I did that I could see what the neighbors across the road were up to again too, I can't see them now 🤣 

[Geoff Weeks]

3 minutes ago, other dog said:

I didn't want to close it off completely, I asked the guy when he put it up if it was going to take off like a kite the first time the wind blew.

He said "no, that's only when you close them in".

Not anchored to footings?

[Brocky]

I think Geoff is right on adding diagonal cables on the end. Possible a couple of sheets of the roofing material or aluminum channel / angle iron across the end to add some structural strength but leaving the top and bottom open to let the air out when the wind blows??? How well is it anchored??? Dig 4 or 6 holes under the bottom lengthwise rails and fill  with concrete then drill some anchor bolts into them??

[other dog]

It's got 3 or 4 long pins driven into the ground on both sides to anchor the bottom but the whole top part sways back and forth. We've had a lot of unusually windy days here, unusually strong winds, and I was just afraid that eventually that back and forth motion would wear through the screws in those corner braces, creating a domino effect and eventual catastrophic failure of the entire structure. 

Pretty big words I'm throwing around there, eh? 🤣 

[mrsmackpaul]

Never seen anyone use cables for brace, steel pipe yes, flat strap yes, angle iron yes

But guessing cable will work okay

But yes a big X brace doohickie across the rear opening 

Dunno about your pins in the ground, thinking some cement footings to anchor the walls to the ground 

Maybe 2 feet square and 2 feet deep, it's a fairly big sail area to catch wind

I know of people that have driven car axles into the ground on cattle crushes and a big bull will pull them out when in the crush

so the pins best be in the ground a few feet if it's gunna stop the carport getting airborne 

No matter what you do your gunna struggle a bit as the frame of the car port is only sitting on the fround, not extending into footings in the ground

So think about a fence post that has a flange bolted onto it and bolted to cement, everything is realing on the flange and a few bolts

However if the post was 2 feet longer and buried in a hole the strength of the post stops the movement 

So maybe bolt some long posts fixed to each corner of the carport and bury these posts in holes 2 feet deep filled with cement 

 

Paul

[Joey Mack]

we have 4 of these. I did partial closures on the gable ends.  No movement in  either one ... It allows air to pass through without turning it into a kite..