The objective of this research is to measure and evaluate wind speeds and directions in extreme thunderstorm events to provide validation for numerical modeling, wind tunnel experimentation and engineering design. Thunderstorm winds control the design winds across the world. While laboratory and numerical studies have suggested vast differences may exist in the near-surface characteristics of thunderstorm winds relative to those generated by other phenomena, there has been a dearth of available field data to validate this hypothesis or evaluate its potential influence on wind loading. This project will deploy an arsenal of newly-developed, state-of-the-art mobile radar instrumentation directly in the path of thunderstorms. The measured data will be analyzed to evaluate the differences between thunderstorm winds and those typically assumed for engineering design and wind tunnel testing. The results of this project will provide data for realistic physical and numerical simulation studies to evaluate thunderstorm wind-structure interaction, to develop appropriate design standards, and to mitigate thunderstorm wind damage. This will also provided much needed data for future engineering studies, requiring more detailed information concerning near ground turbulence in wind.
The project research will improve the definition of wind design loads leading to safer designs of buildings and infrastructures such as transmission line towers, which have a known susceptibility to thunderstorm winds. The measured data will be compiled into a web-based archive and made available to the engineering community to facilitate further research and improve design. The project will provide research opportunities and field experience for graduate students, work with an established outreach educational program with nearby high schools targeting underrepresented groups, and integrate teaching and research by linking the field acquisition phase of this project to an upcoming graduate course offering.
