Developing an anchoring method to reinforce the structure of centre pivot irrigators in windstorms

Abstract

The September and October (2013) wind storms in Canterbury, New Zealand, caused the highest reported windstorm damage on center pivot irrigation systems worldwide. Around 800 center pivots were damaged and it cost farmers millions of dollars, both directly and indirectly. It was very difficult to find engineering-validated recommendations for farmers to protect their irrigation systems during future windstorms. Many farmers used different things improve the stability of irrigators during the wind storm such as filling the wheels with water or deflating the tires. This study has developed an anchoring method to protect center pivot irrigation systems in wind storms. Different scenarios, based on the New Zealand environment, were investigated to find the most practical protection method for the different parts of center pivot irrigation systems using anchoring systems. The results of this study show a very simple anchoring system can protect center pivots during windstorms.