A brief description of Automobile wind tunnels, icing tunnels, and propeller tunnels are contained in this presentation. history, design, and operation of each wind tunnel contains in this presentation.

1. AUTOMOBILE WIND
TUNNELS,
ICING TUNNELS
&
PROPELLER TUNNELS
C.A. RUWANPATHIRANA
ENG/16/025
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2. CONTENT
• Automobile Wind Tunnels
• History
• Design And Operation
• Types Of Automobile Wind Tunnels
• Advantages
• Icing Tunnels
• Uses Of Icing Tunnels
• Design And Operation
• Advantages
• Propeller Tunnels
• History
• Design And Operation
• Advantages
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3. AUTOMOBILE WIND
TUNNELS
• Old cars had very boxy designs. More
like buggies or trucks.
• Manufacturers didn’t care about the
aerodynamics because they were very
slow.
• After introducing some racing cars they
realize that, they have to consider
about the aerodynamics
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4. HISTORY OF AUTOMOBILE
WIND TUNNELS
• Idea about the aerodynamics in the automobile
industry began to grow in 20th century.
• Late 1920s, automobile designers realized wind
tunnel testing could help to determine how to
alter the car body shape.
• In 1941 Chrysler company built “Chrysler
Thunderbolt” known as the “car of the future”.
• It was first car which was tested in a wind
tunnel.
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5. HISTORY OF AUTOMOBILE
WIND TUNNELS
• In 1960, The Specialists of MIRA (Motor
Industry Research Association),
initiated the first dedicated automobile
wind tunnel for aerodynamic research.
• Nowadays each and every vehicle
manufacturing company has their own
wind tunnel.
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6. DESIGN &
OPERATION
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7. TYPES OF AUTOMOBILE
WIND TUNNELS
• External flow tunnels
• Climatic tunnels
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8. EXTERNAL FLOW
TUNNELS
• To study the external flow through the
chassis
• Sensors under the tunnel’s floor to
measure the drag, lift and the
moments acting on the test object.
• Temperature and Pressure sensors at
key points
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9. EXTERNAL FLOW TUNNELS
• Moving belts to replicate the real world situation (Especially in
Formula 1 testing where ground effects are crucial)
• Various systems to obtain the thinnest boundary layer possible
oMoving belts
oSuction
oKeeping the test object on an elevated
platform
oScoops or perforations
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10. CLIMATIC TUNNELS
• to evaluate the performance of door
systems, braking systems, etc. under
various climatic conditions.
• The test vehicles are subjected to harsh
weather conditions
• Can identify the real world situation
when driving in different hot and cold
environments, rain or snowing.
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11. MOST ADVANCED
AUTOMOBILE WIND TUNNEL
• The most modern wind tunnel
technology is owned by Volkswagen
Wind Tunnel Efficiency Center
• Can be tested up to speed of 250
kilometers per hour
• Simulates real traffic, climatic and
environmental conditions experienced
anywhere in the world.(Temperatures
from -30 C to 60 C)
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12. MOST ADVANCED
AUTOMOBILE WIND TUNNEL
• Snow, rain and sunlight can also be
generated to create real world driving
environment.
• Each wheel has its own flat belt with an
integrated camera system
• Also, the quietest wind tunnel in the
world due to its acoustic insulation.
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13. ADVANTAGES OF
AUTOMOBILE WIND TUNNELS
• visualization techniques help to
understand how certain geometric
features affect its aerodynamic
performance
• Optimization of vehicle bodies
results in considerable reduction of
fuel consumption
• improvement of comfort
characteristics
• more favorable driving
characteristics of ground vehicles.
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14. TYPES OF DATA CAN BE
GATHERED
• Aerodynamic forces: drag, lift, side force
• Moments: pitch, yaw, roll
• Variation of aerodynamic forces and
moments with yaw
• Surface pressure distribution
• Vehicle cooling drag
• Assessment of brake cooling flows
• Aero-acoustic data
• The influence of different vehicle details
on pressure distribution
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15. ICING TUNNELS
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16. USES OF ICING TUNNELS
• Aerospace industry - Ice
detection instrumentation in
space crafts
• Aviation industry – reduce the ice
formation in the wings, engines
navigation instruments etc.
• Automotive industry– Analyze
resistance in different climate
conditions.
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17. USES OF ICING TUNNELS
• Marine industry– reduce the
formation of ice in ship hulls
• Wind Energy - measure the
different phases of icing with
weather sensors and ice
detectors
• Civil engineering applications
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18. DESIGN &
OPERATION
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19. DESIGN & OPERATION
• The tunnel creates a stream of cooled air and mix it with mist of water droplets.
• A model can be placed in this stream to simulate the effects of passing through
cloud at speed.
• Video recording system of the tunnel will record the formation of ice from
different angles.
• Video and still imaging cameras
• High-speed photography
• Standard flow visualization techniques
• Infrared thermography system
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20. DESIGN & OPERATION
• Fan must be run at idle speed to
prevent the freezing of the fan.
• Insulator materials are being used to
keep the inside of the tunnel cool.
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21. ADVANTAGES
• Create realistic icing conditions at a
component level.
• Providing information on how well ice
protection equipment is working and
on the adhesion of ice to a given
material.
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22. • Wing tunnels which are being used to test the
propellers of aircrafts and ships, turbine blades,
compressor of gas turbine engines.
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23. HISTORY OF
PROPELLER TUNNELS
• Wright brothers knew the performance
analysis of the propeller is important for the
success of their flyer after many
unsuccessful operations.
• In 1903, the Wrights built a wind tunnel that
they used to test the 28 inch long propeller
design.
• In 1915, Dr. Durand built the first wind
tunnel to study Aircraft's propeller
efficiency at Stanford University.
• In 1922, NASA built a wind tunnel with 20 ft.
diameter to test full scale propellers.
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24. DESIGN &
OPERATION
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25. DESIGN & OPERATION
• Construction is similar as conventional
wind tunnels.
• Usually it has open test section and
round cross section.
• Engine or a motor is there in the test
section to drive the testing propeller.
• Another fan is there keep the air flow
at required speed.
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26. ADVANTAGES
• Propeller efficiency.
• Emergency systems (ex:- feathering).
• Compressor stalling.
• Thrust
• Propeller imbalances
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27. CONCLUSION
• Using automobile wind tunnels vehicles can be designed with less drag and
more safe features.
• Automobile wind tunnels can be divided into two segments as external flow
wind tunnels and climate tunnels.
• Icing tunnels help to analyze real ice formation of the bodies with different
conditions.
• Propeller tunnels are using to every kind of propellers and gas turbine engine
blades.
• Propeller tunnels are like conventional wind tunnels with open test section and
round cross section.
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28. ANY QUESTIONS?
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29. THANK YOU
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