Structured Wind-Borne Debris Flight Media Dataset from Large-Scale Experiment at the Wall of Wind

This experiment focused on understanding the flight behavior of wind-borne debris under controlled high-velocity wind conditions. Debris objects, including plate-type (e.g., shingles, OSB panels), rod-type (e.g., dowel rods, lumber), and compact debris (e.g., spheres, gravel), were loaded into eight chambers on the roof of the base building (i.e., the debris source). These debris objects were strategically released into the flow field using electromagnets activated at different wind speeds and building orientations. Arrays of cameras, set at different frame rates and resolutions, captured both wide-angle and detailed views of the debris flights. A total of 37 tests were conducted, with each test representing a unique launch of approximately 30 debris objects into the flow. The dataset generated from these tests consists of rich visual recordings of debris flight trajectories. Combined with the known background wind conditions from the flow characterization (first experiment), this dataset provides a valuable resource for understanding how different debris types behave in extreme wind events, offering insights that can inform improvements to wind design codes and standards. The dataset is reusable for validating debris flight models, advancing aerodynamic studies, and enhancing wind engineering designs.