How AeroEdge^® Works

AeroEdge^® suppresses the formation of vortices (wind turbulence) above the roof surface thus significantly reducing wind uplift forces at roof perimeters where wind damage typically starts.

Vortex Suppression Research and Development

Vortex suppression was 1^st investigated as a method of reducing roof wind loads in the early 1990’s. In 2003, after viewing damage in Bermuda following Hurricane Fabian (Cat 3), engineers observed significantly less roof damage than in the US under similar wind speeds. Engineers surmised that the vortex suppressing configuration inherent in Bermudian roof drain collectors was the cause. Vortex suppression research and development was revived when RenaissanceRe funded full scale testing at the original Florida International University / RenaissanceRe Wall of Wind (outdoor facility with 6 pairs of turbo fans).

Confirmation and Quantification of Benefits

Full scale testing at the Wall of Wind confirmed the engineers’ hypothesis by recording significant reductions in wind uplift for both flat and gabled roofs by a factor of 2. To quantify these confirmed benefits even further, extensive wind tunnel testing was commissioned at the University of Western Ontario’s state of the art wind tunnel. These 2008 test results again confirmed the reduction in maximum wind forces by 50% and were submitted to leading hurricane loss modeling companies for their evaluation of economic savings in estimated storm losses. RMS conducted the most extensive of these evaluations and has partnered with AeroEdge USA to create custom vulnerability functions for use with their insurance policy models.

To learn how you can install AeroEdge^® to mitigate hurricane wind damage or if you just have a question about our story:

e-mail us or call (203) 222-6025.