School of Civil Engineering

Wind engineering research

Wind Research Laboratory (WiRL) is comprised of atmospheric scientists and engineers that conduct specialised, interdisciplinary research in the following areas:

  • Catastrophe loss modelling
  • Post-storm damage assessments
  • Severe convective thunderstorms (e.g. downbursts and tornadoes)
  • Tropical cyclones
  • Wind engineering
  • Wind tunnel research
  • Bluff body (building) aerodynamics

Current projects

  1. Characterising the hazard, structure, and impacts of severe convective wind storms
  2. Storm Reports
  3. Using realistic disaster scenario analysis to understand natural hazard impacts and emergency management requirements
  1. Numerical simulation of the progressive collapse of transmission line systems
  2. Tropical Cyclone Wind Field Characterisation
  3. Unsteady bluff body aerodynamics

5. Tropical Cyclone Wind Field Characterisation

supercell
A supercell thunderstorm.

The aim of this project, led by PhD student Thomas Klötzke, is to measure, analyse and simulate near-surface wind fields during landfalling TCs, primarily along the Queensland coastline. Observational data will be collected through coordinated deployments of the Surface Weather Relay and Logging Network (SWIRLnet) of portable anemometers in the path of landfalling tropical cyclones. Captured events will be analysed to assess the turbulent characteristics in the very near surface tropical cyclone boundary layer. Events will also be simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical model to assess the role of local topography and terrain in defining the turbulence regimes within these types of storms. Observational research will be carried out in collaboration with researchers at the Cyclone Testing Stations (James Cook University) and partial funding is received from the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC.