KEVOS® MAKEOS · Mechanics
Outdoor Cabinet or Machine Wind Tipping and Sliding Check
Will this free-standing cabinet, tank or machine outdoors tip over or slide in the design wind, and if so what anchor tension is needed?
Check of a free-standing outdoor item against wind: dynamic pressure, wind force and its height (as the wind pressure tool), restoring and overturning moments about the leeward edge and the safety factor against tipping, with the anchor tension needed if it falls short (as the machine tipping stability tool), and sliding resistance from friction at the base against the wind force.
Open the calculatorRuns in your browser. No account needed.
How this tool works
Inputs, units and where to find them
| Input | Unit | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| Design wind speed | m/s | Design gust or wind speed at the site. |
| Air density | kg/m³ | Air density. |
| Force coefficient | Force coefficient for the shape (about 1.2–1.5 for box shapes). | |
| Area facing the wind | m² | Projected area facing the wind. |
| Height of the area centre | mm | Height above the base of the centre of that area. |
| Item | ||
| Mass (empty if it may be empty) | kg | Mass of the item (use the empty mass if it can stand empty). |
| Height of the centre of gravity | mm | Height of its centre of gravity. |
| Centre of gravity to the leeward tipping edge | mm | Horizontal distance from the centre of gravity to the edge it would tip about. |
| Base friction coefficient | Friction coefficient between the base and the ground. | |
| Required safety factor against tipping | Safety factor against tipping you need. | |
| Anchors on the windward side | Anchors on the windward side that would resist uplift. | |
| Tipping edge to the anchors | mm | Distance from the tipping edge to those anchors. |
| Anchor tension capacity | kN | Tension capacity of each anchor. |
Method and formulas
- q = ½ ρ V²; wind force F = C_d q A at the area centre height (as the wind pressure tool).
- Restoring moment = W b; overturning moment = F h; factor = restoring ÷ overturning; anchor tension = (factor needed × overturning − restoring) ÷ (anchors × lever) (as the machine tipping stability tool).
- Sliding resistance = μ W, against F.
- Example: 15 m/s gives 351 N of wind; the tipping factor is 2.5145 and friction resists 882.6 N.
Limitations
- Steady wind with one force coefficient; gusts, vortex shedding and shielding are not covered.
- Rigid item on a level base; soft ground can let it rock.
- Example values are illustrations. Replace them with values for your actual task.
Typical uses
- Check an outdoor switchboard or cabinet
- Decide whether a temporary tank or machine needs anchors
- Find anchor tension for a wind rating
Who it is for
- Site engineers
- Electrical contractors
- Maintenance engineers
What you get
- Wind pressure, force and overturning moment
- Tipping safety factor and anchor tension
- Sliding resistance
Interpreting the result
- An empty tank or cabinet is the worst case: always check with the lightest mass it can have outdoors.
References
- Machinery’s Handbook, 29th edition (Industrial Press, 2012), printed pp. 3028, 167–168. Topic reference; no source tables or recommended settings are reproduced.
WORKOS tools are screening and decision-support utilities. Verify important financial, engineering, safety, legal or operational decisions using appropriate professional standards and your organisation’s approved data.
Open the Outdoor Cabinet or Machine Wind Tipping and Sliding Check calculator
