DOI: 10.17603/ds2-mn84-j515
title: Characterization of Wall of Wind Flow Field for Free Stream and With-Building
title: in Understanding Near-Surface Wind Characteristics from Wind-borne Debris Flight Media

description: This project generated a structured debris flight media dataset from two complementary large-scale experiments conducted at the Wall of Wind shared-use facility at Florida International University. The experiments were designed to capture debris flight media under high-velocity wind conditions, representative of the size and types of debris objects observed during field investigations after extreme windstorms, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms, contributing to a deeper understanding of near-surface wind dynamics. The experimental setup consisted of a base building positioned on a turntable in front of the facility's flow management system. The roof section of the base building contained chambers housing the debris objects, which were released into the flow field. The research project was structured into two experiments. In the first, the flow field was characterized to determine the background wind conditions under various stream flow scenarios. In the second, a variety of debris objects placed in the roof section of the base building were released into the wind flow using a controlled technique, ensuring effective dispersion into the flow field. Cameras with varying resolutions and frame rates were strategically positioned within the flow field to capture the trajectories of debris released from the roof of the building. The camera array recorded the debris flight paths, producing a high-quality visual record of debris behavior under controlled conditions. Two datasets, comprising the background flow characterization and the debris flight data, are provided to enhance our understanding of wind-borne debris flights and improve insights into non-synoptic wind events, such as tornadoes. These datasets can be reused by researchers and engineers to validate debris flight models, advance aerodynamic studies, and improve wind design codes and standards.
description: This experiment focused on characterizing the flow field to understand background wind flow conditions in both suburban and open terrains, as well as different base-building orientations relative to the wind flow. The flow field was characterized by first calibrating the freestream conditions without the base building (i.e., the debris source), followed by tests with the base building on the turntable. To calibrate the flow field, Cobra Probes were mounted at distinct elevations on a stand and positioned at specified locations within the flow field, representative of the area of interest. These probes captured the three components of velocity under each stream flow condition. The measured velocity components were recorded along with the reference wind speed obtained as the flow exited the flow management system. This allows for normalization of the velocity data against the reference wind speed, offering insights into the distribution of wind speeds across the flow field. The results provide a detailed understanding of the background flow conditions under various stream flow scenarios, which is crucial for the subsequent debris flight studies.