Abstract
This paper describes the design and the construction details of a medium size subsonic low-speed wind tunnel, which has been designed to achieve 90 m/s in the working section with expected low intensity turbulence level, making it available for researching in areas such as low speed aerodynamics (fl ight and terrestrial vehicles), sport activities, civil engineering applications, fundamental research in Fluid Mechanics and other possibilities. To accomplish such objectives a very detailed design was carried on using theoretical analyses, CFD simulations and semi-empirical methods, all of them applied to improve the fl ow quality along the wind tunnel sections. A very careful attention has been focused to the design of the fan blades and the electrical engine assembly, which has been inserted in a “pusher” confi guration. Flow control and stabilization also took place using screens, honeycombs and corner vanes, all of them optimized to induce low turbulence levels in the working section. The design and construction of each wind tunnel section has been presented and discussed shedding light to the most relevant technical aspects and an attempt is made here to present some design and manufacture guidance for the main components of a low subsonic wind tunnel.
Highlights
The practice of low-speed experimental aerodynamics has continued to evolve and it is a cornerstone in the development of a wide range of vehicles and other devices that must perform their functions in the face of forces imposed by strong flows of air or water
It was believed that in the 1970s and in the early 1980s the use of wind tunnels, especially in the subsonic regime, would rapidly disappear as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) would become a more attractive option to obtain data for many engineering applications, since it would be better in cost-effectiveness (Barlow et al 1999)
This paper aims to describe some aspects of the design and the construction details of a closed-circuit subsonic low-speed wind tunnel, which has been designed to achieve 90 m/s in the working section with expected low turbulence intensity
Summary
Odenir de Almeida, Frederico Carnevalli de Miranda, Olivio Ferreira Neto, Fernanda Guimarães Saad. AbsTRacT: This paper describes the design and the construction details of a medium size subsonic low-speed wind tunnel, which has been designed to achieve 90 m/s in the working section with expected low intensity turbulence level, making it available for researching in areas such as low speed aerodynamics (flight and terrestrial vehicles), sport activities, civil engineering applications, fundamental research in Fluid Mechanics and other possibilities. To accomplish such objectives a very detailed design was carried on using theoretical analyses, CFD simulations and semi-empirical methods, all of them applied to improve the flow quality along the wind tunnel sections.
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