2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The University currently owns a Hampden model H-6910 wind tunnel, a model designed for educational purposes. This model operates at a maximum air velocity of 50 miles per hour. The H-6910 wind tunnel also contains a test section of only 8 inches by 8 inches. Over the past two years, the undergraduate students developed a data acquisition system through LabVIEW to analyze the aerodynamic forces on the external bodies with the help of senior design projects. For this study, an alternative system using force balance was developed to compare the accuracy of the data acquisition system.

The goal of this study was to demonstrate the capabilities of the University’s Wind Tunnel by measuring the aerodynamic forces on external bodies such as the Cylinder and Corvette Car Model (small-scale, 3-D printed) using a newly developed Force Balance system. This was done by conducting experiments using the wind tunnel in the fluids lab and comparing these results to computational models. For this experiment, a 3-D printed car and a cylinder were used for testing in the wind tunnel test section and a pressure transducer was used to measure the free-stream velocity. A force balance was then utilized to securely mount objects in the wind tunnel while directly measuring the total lift and drag forces. In a parametric study, the validation of the force balance system was carried out for a cylinder in which the force balance results were verified with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) data. Then the computational model was developed to simulate the fluid flow over Corvette Car in the ANSYS workbench and then it was utilized to compare the Force balance (experimental) results. In the end, the results from all parts of this research were compared to one another to validate the performance of the force balance system.

This research will provide useful knowledge to the Mechanical Engineering program at the University and give students valuable research experience in the field of aerodynamics. Students will be capable of understanding the applications of what they learn in the classroom to solidify the educational background that they are receiving at the University.