2023 - 2025
Dario Milani
Maria Pia Repetto
Giuseppe Piccardo
Mohammad Amir Neshat
Edward Canepa
Mekdes Tadesse Mengistu
2023 - 2025
Winds on Vertiports 1
ERIES - WonV1
Dataset Description
This dataset presents comprehensive wind-tunnel measurements acquired at the "Giovanni Solari" Wind Tunnel to support the aerodynamic characterization of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vertiports. The experimental campaign investigates both rooftop and ground-level configurations under simulated Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) conditions. The rooftop study employs a two-phase methodology: a macro-level assessment (1:600 scale) of a five-building urban cluster to identify critical aerodynamic sensitivities, followed by a micro-level analysis (1:300 scale) detailing the effects of shielding and vertipad deck placement on the most impacted structures. Concurrently, the ground-level investigation evaluates flow disturbances caused by various upstream obstructions (1:100 scale) across sea and open-country terrain profiles. For all test cases, the dataset provides detailed model geometries, test conditions, and high-resolution pointwise velocity distribution captured via Cobra probe and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV).
Specimens
1. [RV] Rooftop Vertiport - Phase I: The effect of surrounding buildings on the wind above the rooftop
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The focus of Phase I of the Rooftop vertiport investigation was on the effect of the surrounding buildings on the wind above the rooftops of the selected five buildings in a cluster of buildings in San Francisco.
1. [RV] Rooftop Vertiport - Phase I
A 1:600 scaled model of the cluster of buildings was placed under a simulated urban ABL, and wind above the rooftops of the five selected buildings was measured for eight wind directions ranging from 0 to 315 degrees at an increment of 45 degrees.
The wind field measurement at 10 elevations above the centers of the rooftops of the five selected buildings for each of the eight considered wind directions was conducted using a Cobra probe. In addition, the streamwise wind speed was measured by a Pitot tube located upstream at a horizontal distance of 2 m from the center of the test section and at a vertical distance of 180 mm from the wind tunnel ceiling. All data was collected using a Cobra probe at a 2 kHz sampling frequency. For every measurement point, a 60-second time history was recorded containing the following variables: upstream wind velocity, wind tunnel inlet temperature, and the three orthogonal flow velocity components (u, v, w).
Instrumentation
Pitot tube, multi-hole (Cobra) probe.
The Cobra probe is a multi-hole pressure device designed for real-time dynamic measurements of three-component velocity and local static pressure. It offers a linear frequency response from 0 Hz to over 2 kHz and is available in various ranges suitable for flow speeds between 2 m/s and 100 m/s. The probe measures flow angles within a ±45° cone and captures all six Reynolds stress components, enabling the calculation of higher-order terms. The accuracy of the Cobra probe's velocity measurements depended on turbulence levels but was generally within ±0.3 m/s, while the yaw and pitch angle uncertainty was reported by the manufacturer to be within ±0.05 degree. The Pitot static tube, in contrast, only measures the streamwise velocity component by determining the difference between total and static pressure. Throughout the test, the wind tunnel temperature is continuously monitored, and the measured values are used to adjust the air density for precise velocity calculations.
2. [RV] Rooftop Vertiport - Phase II: The effect of shielding by an adjacent building and placement of the vertipad on the rooftop
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The focus of Phase II of the Rooftop vertiport investigation was on the effect of the positioning of the vertipad on the rooftop and shielding from adjacent buildings on the wind above the vertipad.
Out of the five buildings considered in Phase I, Building No.5 whose mean wind speed and turbulence intensity above its rooftop were found to be highly influenced by the neighboring buildings, was selected to be the focus of the investigation in Phase II. The top 100 m part of 1:300 scaled models of Building No. 5 and Building No. 4 were placed under a simulated urban ABL. Wind measurement was done above the surface of the vertipad (100 mm diameter, 0.5 mm thick) on the rooftop of Building No.5, considering a case where the building is shielded by the presence of Building No. 4 upstream to it and a case where it is free from shielding. Five configurations of the vertipad on the rooftop of Building No. 5, differing in planar position relative to the rooftop geometry and in vertical elevation above the rooftop surface, were considered.
The wind field measurement was done on a 3D grid of points above the surface of the vertiport using a Cobra probe for all five vertipad configurations under free and shielded conditions. Flow measurements were performed with Cobra hot-wire probes at 30 locations (27 regularly spaced grid points plus three additional points at the center of the vertipad). Spacing between measurement points was 33 mm in both the horizontal and vertical directions. At every location, the three velocity components (u, v, w) were recorded continuously for 60 s at a sampling frequency of 2 kHz. Details regarding the five Vertipad configurations are provided in the following subsections.
1. Configuration 1 [RV – Phase II]
The circular vertipad was mounted flush at the center of Building No. 5’s rooftop with no gap to the rooftop surface.
Instrumentation
The wind field measurements on the deck model were performed using the same instrumentation adopted in Phase I.
2. Configuration 2 [RV – Phase II]
The circular vertipad was positioned at the center of the rooftop, elevated 7.5 mm above the rooftop surface.
This configuration appeared to be the most promising in terms of flow mitigation for UAM applications. For this reason, PIV measurements were performed on it under both shielded and free-stream conditions, across four planar sections: a vertical centerline plane (A–A) and three horizontal planes (B–B, C–C, D–D) located 60 mm, 10 mm, and 2mm above the deck, respectively. The dataset includes time-resolved velocity fields for each planar section. Comprehensive PIV processing information, covering calibration, interrogation window size, and overlap, and vector validation, is documented to ensure data reproducibility and long-term usability. Each acquisition lasted 5 seconds, with snapshots acquired at 300 frames per second, resulting in a total of 1500 recorded snapshots.
Instrumentation
The wind field measurements on the deck model were performed using the same instrumentation adopted in Phase I.
The PIV measurement system consisted of a laser, a high-speed camera, a synchronizer, and a smoke generator used to seed the flow. The PIV setup in the wind tunnel employs the Litron LDY-300 PIV series. The laser beam, equipped with a guiding arm, is positioned downstream of the test stand and aligned with the flow direction. A high-speed camera, capable of capturing 300 images per second, records a panel view of the flow field.
3. Configuration 3 [RV – Phase II]
The vertipad was positioned at the center of the rooftop, elevated 18.5 mm above the rooftop surface.
Instrumentation
The wind field measurements on the deck model were performed using the same instrumentation adopted in Phase I.
4. Configuration 4 [RV - Phase II]
The vertipad was shifted by 35 mm from the center of the rooftop towards the downstream and elevated by 18.5 mm above the roof surface.
Instrumentation
The wind field measurements on the deck model were performed using the same instrumentation adopted in Phase I.
5. Configuration 5 [RV - Phase II]
The vertipad was shifted by 35 mm from the center of the rooftop towards the upstream and elevated by 18.5 mm above the roof surface.
Instrumentation
The wind field measurements on the deck model were performed using the same instrumentation adopted in Phase I.
3. [GV] Ground-level Vertiport
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The study on ground-level vertiports investigated the effect of an upstream barrier on flow disturbance over the vertiport area and explored mitigation measures considering five configurations of upstream barrier. A generic low-rise building (24 × 120 × 35 mm) was considered as an upstream barrier, and its 1:100 scaled model was placed upstream of the vertiport area under simulated atmospheric boundary layers (ABLs) corresponding to open country and sea terrain. Five configurations of the upstream barrier, corresponding to different mitigation measures, were implemented on the low-rise building, and the resulting wind field above the vertiport was measured.
Wind field measurements were conducted on a 3D grid of points above the vertiport surface using a Cobra probe for all five configurations of the upstream barrier under both ABL profiles. The measurement was on a total of 30 points distributed across nine locations, spaced 60 mm apart, at three distinct height levels, each separated by 35 mm. For the point at the center of the grid on the horizontal plane, three additional measurement points with an even spacing of 35 mm between them were considered. At every location, the three velocity components (u, v, w) were recorded continuously for 60 s at a sampling frequency of 2 kHz. Details regarding the different configurations of the five ground-level vertiports are provided in the following subsections.
1. Configuration 1 [GV]: Vertiport with isolated low-rise building
The first configuration of the surface vertiport consists of the low-rise building as an upstream barrier.
Instrumentation
The wind field measurements on the vertiport were performed using the same instrumentation adopted in Phase I of RV.
2. Configuration 2 [GV]: Vertiport with low-rise building and Guide Vane
The second configuration features two identical guide vanes mounted on the top of the low-rise structure. These vanes are positioned at opposite edges—one at the upstream side and the other at the downstream side. Both vanes have identical dimensions, with a length of 120 mm, a width of 15 mm, and a uniform thickness of 1 mm. The upstream vane is angled with a -10-degree inclination relative to the horizontal direction, while the downstream vane has a +10-degree inclination relative to the horizontal direction.
This configuration appears to be the most promising in terms of flow mitigation for UAM applications. For this reason, PIV measurements were performed on it under both ABL profiles, across four planar sections: a vertical symmetry plane (A–A) and three horizontal planes (B–B, C–C, and D–D) positioned at elevations of 53 mm, 34 mm, and 22 mm above the vertiport surface, respectively. The dataset includes time-resolved velocity fields for each planar section. Each PIV acquisition sequence lasted 4.2 seconds at a sampling rate of 360 frames per second (fps), yielding 1,500 image pairs per run. To ensure data reproducibility and facilitate data interpretation, the PIV processing parameters, including interrogation window dimensions and vector validation algorithms, were systematically documented.
Instrumentation
The wind field measurements on the vertiport were performed using the same instrumentation adopted in Phase I of RV.
The PIV measurements employed the same instrumentation described in Phase II (Configuration 2) of Rooftop Vertiport, namely, a laser, high-speed camera, synchronizer, and smoke generator.
3. Configuration 3 [GV]: Vertiport with low-rise building and Solid Barrier
For the third configuration, a rectangular barrier of dimensions 15 × 120 mm and thickness 10 mm was mounted at the upstream edge of the low-rise structure.
Instrumentation
The wind field measurements on the vertiport were performed using the same instrumentation adopted in Phase I of RV.
4. Configuration 4 [GV]: Vertiport with low-rise building and Porous Barrier
The fourth configuration consists of a porous barrier installed at the upstream edge of the low-rise structure. The barrier has the same rectangular geometry as the solid barrier used in Configuration 3, with dimensions of 15 mm × 120 mm × 1 mm.
Instrumentation
The wind field measurements on the vertiport were performed using the same instrumentation adopted in Phase I of RV.
5. Configuration 5 [GV]: Vertiport with low-rise building and Trees
The last configuration of the Ground-level Vertiport consists of a row of trees, each scaled to 1:100 dimensions, added upstream of the low-rise structure. Each tree has a height of 40 mm. These trees are positioned upstream of the low-rise building, at a distance of 50 mm.
Instrumentation
The wind field measurements on the vertiport were performed using the same instrumentation adopted in Phase I of RV.
Project Metadata
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
CC BY 4.0
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