Mesh and wind load. Stage covering, opinions?

[petesign]

Have a stage to wrap... its a header, two side panels, and backdrop and a skirt. I am worried about windload, and want to use mesh of course... but we have some options. 60-40 all the way to 90-10. Any way to calculate windloads? Which would you use? I am concerned it's just going to be a big freaking sail, and we will end up damaging an expensive stage setup.

 

[J Hill Designs]

we will end up damaging an expensive stage setup.

or killing folks...

 

[Billct2]

Yikes, after all the issues with stage collapses the last few years I wouldn't do anything unless it was signed off by the staging company with a notarized release from liability...and I'd still be nervous.

 

[anotherdog]

I did read somewhere that mesh loading was about 30-40% of ordinary banner. If you take (and I'm guessing here) ordinary banner load of 15lbs per square at 70 mph, I would say 5lb for mesh? not sure what hole size though.

I did a stage banner a couple of years ago, 30ft x 4 ft over top of the stage...that loading would be 600 plus pounds of lateral thrust.

Given that wind is much higher 20 ft in the air and the recent stage collapses...I would be very nervous and plan for over 1000lbs...and check your insurance policy.

there are plenty of calculators out there for windload.

 

[petesign]

thanks for the replies. Looks like 15 pounds per square foot for banner in 75mph wind gusts. That's 1500 pounds for a 10x10' banner, and we are talking about a much bigger banner here.

I am having a hard time finding any good information about mesh reducing the wind load, I have one from Grimco about Key mesh 70/30, and it's hard to figure...

1736 mm/s

Note: test area: 20cm2
Pressure applied: 200 pa

When you pass air with a pressure of 200 Pascal through a square area of 1 millimeter x 1 millimeter for 1 second, the amount of air that passes through is 1736 cubic millimeters.

Any physics majors out there who can translate that into English?

 

[petesign]

in case anyone is following this. I called Verseidag about their seemee mesh premium (90/10) mesh, it reduces the wind load by 17%. Haven't yet found an answer in layman's terms for 70/30 mesh. Honestly, I think this is pretty important to know. Companies go out and slap up a banner or sign all the time, and dont really know what kind of load it puts on a structure.

 

[anotherdog]

rule of thumb, if 90/10 is 17%, then 70/30 ...40%?

did the stage company give you any specifications or do you tell them to build for a certain shear?

It's fun guessing when it's not your head on the block.