Cal Poly Update
The E-Newsletter for University Friends and Alumni

Wine Barrel Safety Demonstration Makes Waves

Cal Poly Structural Engineering Professor Charles Chadwell has been testing wine barrel stacks to find a way to store them more safely in earthquake country.

Professor Chadwell demonstrated his innovative modifications for wine barrel racks during an industry gathering Aug. 2 in his lab on campus.

Using a full-scale earthquake shake table and a four-barrel stack, media and wine industry representatives got to see a recreation of the Northridge earthquake, and how the racks and stacks held up.

Chadwell and his students have been testing various configurations of wine barrel stacks to better safeguard wine stores during major earthquakes.

Wineries commonly stack wine barrels up to eight high, a practice traditional in France, but one that has resulted in major wine losses in quake-prone California.

The new barrel storage system developed by Chadwell and his students, in conjuction with Central Coast wine barrel rack maker Topco Inc, uses a different type of rack for the bottom row of wine barrels, to isolate stacks from the ground.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the new technique, Chadwell and his students recreated the Northridge earthquake, using a full-scale shake table and a four-barrel stack that withstood the test.

Wine operators could either purchase a new bottom rack to stack barrels or buy a "seismic tray" that would hold the existing racks.

Chadwell said the cost of the more quake-stable bottom racks could be similar to current barrel racks, which start at $65.

Read the Tribune story

Read the Wines & Vines story

Read the Spring 2005 Cal Poly Magazine story on Chadwell's project

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