Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), NSF NHERI 2025: The Influence of Terrain Roughness on Peak Values in Turbulence

This study examines how the configuration of terrain roughness influences the wind’s behavior in peak values in the atmospheric boundary layer, using the NSF NEHRI Boundary Wind Tunnel (BLWT) at the University of Florida (UF). This data can be used for further research by including other metrics to consider, such the peak factor profile, kurtosis profile, skewness profile, and others. While most common wind engineering methodology typically just matches 1st and 2nd -order -order wind field profiles, this study focuses on the question if using this statistical data alone, will we be able to characterize these peak wind events. Researchers, code developers, and wind and structural engineers working on hurricane-resilient building designs are among the audience members. It also focuses on researchers and professionals who use wind tunnel data to enhance peak wind load modeling in storm-prone and coastal areas.