Dispersion of windborne debris

The dispersion of windborne debris that is caused by the objectʹs aerodynamics and shape is investigated. It is shown that the flight may be divided into two phases. The initial phase, where the relative velocity is high and the rate of rotation low, is characterised by high transverse accelerations. The second phase, which has much lower accelerations, can be modelled as that of a compact object, where only the drag force is significant. The initial conditions for the second phase are determined by the initial phase. Approximate solutions to the equations of motion are proposed for rectangular plate and rod type debris. The results are is good agreement with wind tunnel observations.