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Critical wind speed at which trees break.

E Virot1, A Ponomarenko1,2, É Dehandschoewercker1,2

  • 1LadHyX, CNRS UMR 7646, École Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France.

Physical Review. E
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Tree breakage occurs at a consistent wind speed of approximately 42m/s, irrespective of tree size or material properties. This study explains the physical reasons behind this surprising uniformity in tree failure during storms.

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Area of Science:

  • Forestry Science
  • Physics of Materials
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Empirical data from storm events indicate a consistent critical wind speed for tree failure.
  • This observation challenges conventional understanding, as tree characteristics vary widely.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the physical origins of the constant critical wind speed for tree breakage.
  • To theoretically and experimentally validate the independence of this critical speed from tree morphology and material properties.

Main Methods:

  • Integration of Hooke's law (elasticity) and Griffith's criterion (fracture mechanics).
  • Application of tree allometry principles relating dimensions and properties.
  • Theoretical modeling and potential experimental validation (implied).

Main Results:

  • The critical wind speed for tree failure is theoretically shown to be largely independent of tree height, diameter, and elastic modulus.
  • A unified physical explanation is provided for the observed constant failure wind speed.

Conclusions:

  • The critical wind speed for tree breakage is a robust physical parameter, not significantly influenced by individual tree traits.
  • This finding has implications for forest management, risk assessment, and understanding wind disturbance dynamics.