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We blasted mobile homes with hurricane-force winds to test how they fail – and found clues for making affordable housing safer

<name>Elaina Sutley, Associate Professor of Engineering, University of Kansas</name> <foaf:homepage rdf:resource="https://theconversation.com/profiles/elaina-sutley-2765144"/>· 9 octobre 2026

Hurricane-force winds from the Wall of Wind test facility rolled mobile homes, showing where their anchoring systems fail. Margi Rentis/Florida International University It’s 9:15 in the morning. The wind is roaring at 110 miles per hour (177 kph); the sound is deafening. Dust swirls through the air…

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Hurricane-force wind tests

Researchers conducted a first-of-its-kind experiment at Florida International University’s Wall of Wind facility to test how mobile homes fail under hurricane-force winds.

The test involved simulating wind speeds equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane (110 miles per hour or 177 kilometers per hour) on a full-scale manufactured home.

The experiment captured the moment when the home’s screws sheared off under the wind’s pressure, causing the entire unit to roll backward two full revolutions before stopping.

This controlled environment allowed researchers to observe damage progression in real time, something rarely possible after actual disasters.

The Wall of Wind is a test facility designed to reproduce extreme wind conditions for structural and wind engineering research.

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