Wind vs Mesh/Netting force

[hamsuplo]

I have a Mesh with a 5mm hole, which during high winds/typhoons can have the effect of a sail.

With the area of the net and size of the holes (maybe i can also figure out mesh thickness), speed of wind, how can I find the interaction between the net and wind? What is the approximate force of the wind on the net and how will the hole size increase or decrease this force on the net?

Example of the net I have:

http://i40.tinypic.com/2ednp60.jpg

 

[JStephen]

You could conservatively treat it as solid fabric.
If you're designing the supports for the fabric, you could design them for, say, 150% of the breaking strength of the fabric rather calculating actual wind loads.
Some of the ASHRAE handbooks have flow loss data for duct flow through screens, and you could deduce the force on the screen from the pressure loss equation. One issue is that the average wind velocity is not going to be the same as the flow velocity through the mesh at every point.

The overall design of the mesh could get rather involved, as the amount of sag and/or flapping taking place in the wind could affect the performance considerably.
If you use a material intended for architectural uses, the manufacturer may have some guidance available on the design.

 

[boo1]

Consider looking at fence designs (attached) using the data from the manufacture and don't forget the build up of ice per ASCE 7-10

 

[dvd]

Check out pages 26, 27 of the Perforator's Handbook. The pressure loss through various percentage open areas is provided for air velocities. You can equate the pressure loss across the perforated material with the force/area.

http://iperf.org/IPRF_DES.pdf