An investigation of plate-type windborne debris flight using coupled CFD-RBD models. Part II: Free and constrained flight

► We use CFD coupled to Rigid Body Dynamics to study the flight of windborne debris. ► Different modes of flight are identifiable, dependent on the initial orientation. ► Some debris flies faster than the wind as potential energy is converted to kinetic. ► Plates are shown launched from the roof of a typical building. ► The predicted flights compare well with limited experimental observations.