2008-2009 University Scholar Profile
Harold Boudreau III
Mentor: David Prevatt
College of Engineering
"I applied to the University Scholars Program because I felt that I was not making a big enough difference and I wanted to work on research that had the potential for helping people all around the world. As I mentioned before, Hurricane Research has always been important to me, being born in Louisiana following the events of Hurricane Katrina further reminds me of the importance of Hurricane research. Hurricane research can help make people around the world living in coastal areas much safer, possibly saving countless lives over the years. I hope to learn not only more about wind tunnels, but about the whole research process. It is exciting because academic research is already proving far more complicated than I originally anticipated, so I am constantly learning and broadening my experiences."
Courses of Study
Major
Civil Engineering
Research Interests
Geotechnical, hurricane mitigation, and low rise structures
Awards
- President’s Honor Roll
- Dean’s List; multiple awards
- Association of Cuban Engineers Scholar
- Rafael & Fe Angulo Scholar
- Wentworth Scholar
- Wofford Scholar
- Furman Scholar
- Ventures Scholar
Volunteer Service / Organizations
- Teaching assistant for Dr. Long in Civil Engineering Cost Analysis
- Residential College Advisor at the Honors College
- Solid Waste Student Intern at Jones Edmunds
Hobbies/Activities
Playing billiards, traveling, camping, cooking, and visiting with friends
Research Description
Atmospheric Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Design
Hurricanes destroy businesses and residential areas around the globe. According to the most current US Census data more than half of the United States’ population lives in coastal counties, and as that proportion continues to rise hurricane research will increase in importance well into the future.
While there have been many large advancements in wind load modeling, much of the research has used simple geometric shapes with limited pressure taps because of model scales 1:100 or smaller. This research project aims to establish appropriate performance criteria for a full-scale open loop atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) wind tunnel that can replicate various quasi-steady and turbulent flow states on low-rise building models up to 1:25 scale. The wind tunnel will attempt to closely replicate the effects of wind below 1,000 m in the ABL. The ABL wind tunnel can be used for research of wind forces on both low-rise and high-rise structures, curtain wall testing, air quality and pollutant dispersion, infiltration and exfiltratation. It can also be used to study natural flows such as smoke and snow dispersion.
The larger 1:25 scale modeling will allow closer structural modeling and be more representative of actual failure modes and fatigue because of reduced geometric stiffness scaling. Better understanding the failure modes and roof pressures of low-rise structures could lead to advancements in retro-fitting current buildings and specific joint reinforcement for new construction. A scale model wind tunnel will be created to test the validity of the proposed wind tunnel design. The full size ABL wind tunnel should create numerous areas of additional research potential for the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Optimistically, the research conducted in the ABL wind tunnel could create safer, more efficient structural designs in hurricane-stricken areas around the globe.
Back to the Journal of Undergraduate Research
