Directed by: Dr. Colin Britcher and Dr. Drew Landman
The Wind Tunnel Laboratory houses three different wind tunnels. The most commonly used one being the Closed-Circuit Low-Speed Wind Tunnel. There is also an Open-Circuit Low-Speed Tunnel with 6" Test Section. Finally, the laboratory houses a Supersonic Wind Tunnel. This page concentrates on the Closed-Circuit Low-Speed Wind Tunnel.
Closed-Circuit Wind Tunnel Facility Description:
(Supplied by AeroLab LLC, Laural, MD c. 1971)
Used for undergraduate and graduate instruction and research in;
Aerodynamic, aeronautical, automotive , and architectural fields
Measurement techniques
General Specifications:
125 H.P. motor (variable frequency AC Drive)
Computer Control and Data Acquisition
High-Speed Test Section:
3 by 4 feet, 8 feet long, 55 m/s (123 mph)
Turntable and pitch mechanism (2DOF)
Low-Speed Test Section:
7 by 8 feet, 7 feet long, 12 m/s (26 mph)
Computer-controlled 3-axis traverse
Test Programs:
Ship airwake/rotor interaction study (S. Doane)
Road vehicle ground wake study (J. Chen)
Transport aircraft wake study(B. Sahin, H. Yavas)
MagLev Vehicle aerodynamics (M. Wells, B.Renaud)
MAE 621, MAE 406, MAE 407 classes (Instrumentation)
Instrumentation:
Pressure System:
80-channel high-speed pressure scanners.
Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV)
Evaluates velocity of microscopic smoke particles in a plane illuminated by a pulsed laser light sheet
2-3 velocity components, 1-875-3.5 fps
Hot Wire Anemometer (HWA)
Infers velocity from cooling of very fine heated wires placed in flow
1-,2-, 3-components, frequency response >50khz




