I Need Help With Fluid Dynamics

[Biotex]

Problem:

The overhead door on my shop faces east. The prevailing winds are out of the west. Dust and dirt swirls around the sides of the building, and all the debris settles in front of my shop door. If I roll the door up, it comes inside making it impossible to keep clean.

 

Is there a simple or perhaps inexpensive solution. Such as wings on the north and south corners of the building to divert or break up the swirling effect?

 

I searched online, but nothing jumps out.

 

[gogmorgo]

Maybe try putting a big evergreen bush or something at the corner of the shop to try catching the stuff? Without having something to fill that big gap behind the shop, you'll get air swirling around in there. Short of blowing air out into that void, I don't know that you'll be able to do much.

Since you said inexpensive, I'll assume that constructing a windbreak around your property isn't going to work? You might be able to get away with putting up some kind of fence out from the edges of the building, but that might not help much.

[Biotex]

Not what I wanted to hear. :doh:

 

Perhaps once my addition is completed, and the building is Ell shaped it may help. I'd love to have some evergreens, but by the time they grow i'll have forgotten how to spell "shop".

[johnny quest]

[skidoo_j]

Is the roll up door the only access to the shop? you had/have a way to break the vacuum created by the wind IE opening a west side door/window before you open the garage door the dirt intake would be minimized.

It's like a car's air draft, you could at a vertical spoiler on the walls and mess with the angle length and distance off the building. What it would allow you to do is control where the accumulation occurs. Maybe allowing you to prevent it from happening.

[Comanche County]

The same thing happens with Wranglers and CJs when you take the top off and leave the windshield up. Dust gets caught in a vortex behind the windshield. My fix for this back road vehicular dust bowl was to put the windshield down and let the wind pass through. No more vortex,,,older flat fender Jeeps solved this with vent doors in the windshield frame (CJ3A) or hinged glass (CJ2A).

 

I imagine the same would work for your shop. Directly opposite of your roll up door, install a large window or another door. This would let the air go through the shop.

 

Or, if that's not possible, the tree idea may work. If you want fast growing trees, just plant a line of cedars. Its a little dry out where you are but they should grow fast with a little water.

[Biotex]

Is the roll up door the only access to the shop? you had/have a way to break the vacuum created by the wind IE opening a west side door/window before you open the garage door the dirt intake would be minimized.

It's like a car's air draft, you could at a vertical spoiler on the walls and mess with the angle length and distance off the building. What it would allow you to do is control where the accumulation occurs. Maybe allowing you to prevent it from happening.

 

I have a sliding window on the North, and one on the South. Nothing on the west. When I built the shop, I knew the winds were out of the west, so I didnt put any openings on that side thinking I would out-smart mother nature. When I open one of those windows, it does help, but I can't leave them open or the shop fill with dust anyways.

 

Would a gable style vent at the highest point on the west face pressurize the shop and keep stuff out, or would it just let more dust in through the screen???

 

I was thinking on the lines of sheet metal wings to disrupt the air, but can't figure out how to angle them. Kind of like the fence that was mentioned. I suppose I can wait until the addition is finished and see how it does then.

[skidoo_j]

How strong of winds are we talking? A gable vent would serve this purpose as long as it's an unfinished ceiling in the garage. You could get one of the closeable type gables too. if you want to try the wings, you could get like a brake drum from a diesel do some fabing for a bracket and you could use a board and screw it to the drum. this way you could turn it to find the best position. If we're talking really high winds just a 2x4 tied back to the structure at the top would work.

[AMCJeepMJ]

A few dowel rods or stakes in the area with a few inches of string on them would show airflow direction, which could help with determining the best method or location for cutting down the dust/debris.