This sounds fruity - Cd of a tree?

[kach22i]

Wind damage on citrus fruit study: Wind tunnel tests
Wind damage on citrus fruit study: Wind tunnel tests

Abstract
The interaction between citrus trees and wind was studied in a wind tunnel. Wind flows at mean velocities between 1 m/s and 3 m/s were simulated, as well as with different energy content at turbulence small-scale. The wind modeling methodologies applied to do so are presented. At a mean velocity, if the turbulence small-scales' energy is high, the consequent leaves' displacement is greater than when the former is low, decreasing the contact time between the leaf and the fruit. Nevertheless, the rest of the tree components do not present significant differences in their responses. This led us to infer that the greater energy at turbulence small-scales could be correlated with a lower period of time a leaf rubs against an adjacent fruit. Therefore, leaves' mechanical action and the consequent damage could be reduced increasing the turbulence small-scale energy content............................

Highlights

► Typical wind flow conditions inside citrus orchards were simulated in a wind tunnel. ► Theoretical model of a tree response under wind action was studied. ► Petiole's movement is greater for high small-scale energy flows. ► By increasing the TKE content at small-scale, wind damage could be reduced.

Leaf rub, who knew?

I'm just trying to picture building a wind tunnel around a health fruit tress, or worse, uprooting or cutting down a tree and dragging it into a wind tunnel facility.

Once while in college I was moving, and put my potted fig tree house plant up though the sunroof as it would not fit in my car. It did not far well, all the leaves were stripped off it and I never went above 40 mph.

More to learn?

Aerodynamic modelling of trees for small-scale wind tunnel studies
Aerodynamic modelling of trees for small-scale wind tunnel studies

Abstract

In building and environmental aerodynamics, wind tunnel studies of natural vegetative structures like bushes or trees have to be modelled. From a fluid mechanical point of view, these structures differ essentially from man-made constructions because of their structural flexibility and permeability. Whereas the small-scale modelling of technical structures is widely known, a lack of knowledge exists in an adequate modelling of vegetative structures. In this article, aerodynamic characteristics of inflexible model trees with crowns of varying porosity are presented. Drag force and flow field measurements were performed in a uniform or boundary layer flow, respectively...................

Introduction

For wind tunnel investigations of urban or rural areas, buildings and vegetative structures need to be modelled in small scale. Typical objectives of such wind tunnel tests are wind forces on buildings, dispersion of pollutants or pedestrian wind comfort. When large-area vegetative structures are investigated, flow over and through canopies is of interest. This is important for the understanding of storm stability of crops and forest stands; exchange processes of heat, gases and moisture; or the deposition of fog and airborne pollutants as well as the spreading of wildfires.............
In the present article, results of force and flow field measurements of individually produced small-scale model trees are presented. Model trees of spherical crowns, differing in crown porosity, have been investigated..................

For all model trees, drag coefficients cd have been determined when subjected to a uniform flow profile. Flow fields around selected model trees have been measured by a two-component laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV). The flow fields were analysed with respect to mean and turbulent flow velocities in streamwise and vertical directions. Furthermore, the Reynolds stress component u′w′, the turbulent kinetic energy (tke) and the distribution of turbulent kinetic energy of the u velocity component in the spectral domain were evaluated.

Laboratory of Building- and Environmental Aerodynamics
Institute for Hydromechanics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, Kaiserstr. 12, 76128 Karlsruhe, Germany
Gebudeaerodynamik und Umweltaerodynamik



As an architect, I've never worked on a project large enough or complex enough to usher in the use of an aerodynamicists. However topography and hydrology (and on occasion daylight aspects) are common.

If you go to the last link, you can see roof top solar panels being analyzed, I can see this becoming more important in the future, at least as important as trees.

Gebudeaerodynamik und Umweltaerodynamik