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Homer Watson and Ottawa Three Lane Roundabouts
Pretty sure they are not lights. They are just shields to prevent the accumulation of snow. They have them at Franklin/Pinebush too. I wondered what they were so took a look and they're just inert shields.
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Ah, I stand corrected then. Was sure I saw something installed, but I never managed to get up close.
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Wow, hadn't seen this pics until now. What the heck are those signs made of? The metal structure itself (not to mention the footing) is huge !

Long gone are the days of pressure-treat 4x4 for this type of thing I suppose, lol. Huge signs for Huge roundabouts
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They're made by B&M Big Grin
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(09-26-2017, 05:33 PM)Canard Wrote: Pretty sure they are not lights. They are just shields to prevent the accumulation of snow.  They have them at Franklin/Pinebush too. I wondered what they were so took a look and they're just inert shields.

They are not lights. These fins are only  used on single mount gantry signs for wind loading. The MTO's single mount gantry on Highway 8 West for the Weber Street exit also has them. They are not used on double mount overhead gantries as the double support can better withstand high winds.
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What do the snow shields do for wind loading? I don't understand...
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(09-27-2017, 05:51 AM)Canard Wrote: What do the snow shields do for wind loading? I don't understand...

Like a spoiler on a car creates more downforce on the rear of the car these shields can reduce exerted torsion on the structure by redirecting the air flow.
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(09-27-2017, 05:51 AM)Canard Wrote: What do the snow shields do for wind loading? I don't understand...

I don't see how those could be snow shields.  Unless the snow is falling straight down, they'd be useless.
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I guess, as we just learned, they are not!
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So they alter the way the wind flows around the sign, so there's less structural strain? Intriguing.
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Always wondered what those "fins" were for on gantry signs, now I know!

This MTO Sign Standards document confirms this. Curious why they are used on the double supported gantry on Franklin however?

Edit: Just realized these are two independent single supported signs... odd.
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(09-27-2017, 02:56 PM)JCnb Wrote: Always wondered what those "fins" were for on gantry signs, now I know!

This MTO Sign Standards document confirms this. Curious why they are used on the double supported gantry on Franklin however?

Nice find!  Here's the key excerpt that explains the fins:

MTO Sign Support Manual Wrote:An aerodynamic damper along the full width of all sign boards is required to suppress vortex shedding and galloping instabilities of the structure under various wind conditions. The damper is attached to each Z-bracket by means of stainless steel bolts. The damper assembly is fabricated from structural aluminum and is comprised of a damper plate, gusset plates and support angles
...K
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"This MTO Sign Standards document confirms this. Curious why they are used on the double supported gantry on Franklin however? "

The signs are two single sided signs. They do not connect in the middle
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Took a good look today at the Franklin ones while waiting in line. They are just flat plates. It's amazing this does anything - but I guess that's what wind tunnel testing and real-world experience do with design. What isn't obvious to us is absolutely obvious to those who design and build these things all day, every day.
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Got some pics this morning - wasn't able to post them until now.

[Image: 1hbm.jpg]

[Image: 1hbn.jpg]

[Image: 1hbp.jpg]

THERE. ARE. NO. LIGHTS.
[Image: 1hbq.jpg]
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