An Extensible Drone Framework for In-flow Disturbance Analysis
Benedetta NOVELLI, Stefano MELONI, Diego PENNINO, Alessandro TROTTA
Abstract. The interaction between coherent turbulent structures across multiple scales and UAV dynamics is highly complex, particularly during maneuvering phases. In this context, the present study introduces a comprehensive simulation framework to model UAV quadcopter dynamics within urban wind environments. A key innovation of this approach is the integration of inflow distortion effects into the Gazebo Sim platform, which has already been validated for accurate representation of drone dynamics. In-flow distortions are implemented in Gazebo Sim through a custom Python script, following a progressive modeling strategy. The process begins with simplified analytical boundary layer profiles, specifically parabolic and logarithmic velocity versus altitude distributions, to evaluate the impact of canonical turbulent boundary layers on quadrotor performance. These foundational models are then enhanced by superimposing von Kármán and Rankine vortex structures, allowing the simulation of coherent turbulent features such as swirling gusts and vortex shedding generated by the urban canopy.
Keywords
Drone, In-Flow Distorsions, Urban Mobility, Simulations
Published online 7/20/2026, 5 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Benedetta NOVELLI, Stefano MELONI, Diego PENNINO, Alessandro TROTTA, An Extensible Drone Framework for In-flow Disturbance Analysis, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 69, pp 822-826, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904251-145
The article was published as article 145 of the book CEAS – AIDAA Conference 2025
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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