An investigation of plate-type windborne debris flight using coupled CFD-RBD models. Part I: Model development and validation

► We use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) coupled with rigid body dynamics (RBD) to study the flight of windborne debris. ► We introduce a singularity-free method based on rotational quaternions. ► We compare the predicted trajectories with existing experimental data. ► We propose new quasi-steady force coefficients for use in analytical models of windborne debris flight.