Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), NSF NHERI 2025: Terrain Effects on Turbulence and Structural Loads: A Wind Tunnel Study

This project evaluates the effects of turbulence on wind pressures of buildings due to controlled terrain variations. The boundary layer wind tunnel was used to create a series of experiments and modify the statistical behavior of wind turbulence. The data from this project can be reused to explore other relationships connected to pressure coefficients. The research contributes new insight into the wind engineering field by conducting a stochastic analysis of design wind pressures under higher-order divergent wind fields. The audience includes engineers involved in the fields of wind hazard mitigation, wind tunnel testing, and implementing design codes for wind loads on structures.