NOTE FOR STUDENTS : Draw the diagram with pencil and label the parts if

any in pencil in left side of RECORD. Diagram , Tabular column, calculations

,graphs and plots in Left side and Aim, Apparatus Required, Formula used,
inference , Results &Theory and Description in Right side.
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STUDY OF LOW SPEED (SUBSONIC)WIND TUNNEL
Aim :
• To identify and Examine the various components of the subsonic wind tunnel,
including the contraction cone, settling chamber, test section, diffuser, and
other essential parts.
• To gain insights into the role and functionality of each component in creating a
controlled and reproducible airflow within the wind tunnel.
Need of experiments :
(i)Theory is incomplete and needs to be supplemented.
(ii) Information of fundamental nature needed in many areas. Experimental
information towards solving aerodynamic problems could be obtained in a number of
ways. Flight tests, rocket flights, drop tests water tunnels, ballistic ranges and wind
tunnels are some of the ways by which aerodynamic data can be generated. With the
help of well performed experiments even information of fundamental nature could be
derived.

Wind Tunnels:
Wind tunnels are tube-shaped facilities that allow engineers to move air over a
vehicle as if it were flying. The tunnels are used to copy the actions of an object in
flight. They help researchers to learn more about how an aircraft will fly. Engineers
use wind tunnels to test scale models of aircraft and spacecraft. Some wind tunnels
are big enough to hold full-size versions of vehicles. By moving air around an
object, the wind tunnel simulates the conditions of the object in flight.
Majority of experimental data needed in aerodynamics is generated using wind
tunnels. Wind Tunnel is a device for producing airflow relative to the body under
test. Wind tunnels provide uniform flow conditions in their test section.
Working of Wind Tunnel
Wind tunnels usually have powerful fans to move the air through the tube. The object
being tested is placed in the tunnel so that it will not move. The air moving around the
still object shows what would happen if the object were moving through the air. The
object can be a smaller-scale model of a vehicle, one piece of a vehicle, a full-size
aircraft or spacecraft, or even a common object like a tennis ball. Usually, the object
carries special instruments to measure the forces produced by the air on the object.
Engineers also study how the air moves around the object by injecting smoke or dye

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into the tunnel and photographing its motion around the object. Improving the flow of
air around an object can increase its lift and decrease its drag.

Classification of wind tunnels :

Wind tunnels may be classified based on any of the following:
(a) Speed, Mach no They are classified as of low speed or high speed wind tunnels .In
wind tunnel parlance, high speed wind tunnels are those operating at speeds where
compressibility effects are important. They are also classified based on the Mach
number of operation as subsonic, transonic, supersonic or hypersonic wind tunnels.
(b) Mode of operation (Pressure storage, in-draft or Pressure vacuum type.)
(c) Kind of test section (T.S) - Open, Closed or Semi enclosed
Applications of wind tunnels
1. Aerodynamic applications
2. Non-Aero applications in • Civil Engineering • Automobile Engineering •
Calibration of instruments
Low speed wind tunnel:
Low speed wind tunnels may be of open circuit or closed circuit.

Figure 1shows an open circuit low speed wind tunnel.

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BELL MOUTHED ENTRY: A bell mouthed entry with honeycomb network and
screens with smooth settling length provided before the test section.

Flow conditioners
Honey comb Section :
In most tunnels, the flow-conditioning section contains a honeycomb, screens, and a
settling duct. An example honeycomb section is shown in Figure. The honeycomb
aligns the flow with the axis of the tunnel and breaks up larger-scale flow
unsteadiness. The screens cascade large-scale turbulent fluctuations into smaller
scales. These decay in the settling duct, which must be sufficiently long to allow for
sufficient decay while minimizing boundary-layer growth

Honeycombs with different cell cross sectional shapes

Honey combs are effective in removing swirl and lateral mean fluctuations. Incidental
effect is to reduce turbulence. In order to restrain the boundary layer thickness and
transition in to turbulent boundary layer the cell length is usually kept within 5 to 10
times the cell dimension [Cell diameter or cell width].
Screens
Use of wire meshes (also called as gauzes or screens) is very common. Screens of
very fine mesh size are used. They are kept as far upstream of the test section as
possible. Screens are usually made of metal, nylon or polyester. With the use of
screens, larger eddies are broken down to smaller ones and the smaller ones decay
rapidly. Multiple screens reduce turbulence intensity. One of the important reasons for
keeping the screens at the beginning of the tunnel circuit is to ensure that they are at
the low velocity regions where the Re is the least.
Settling Chamber
This section is designed to ensure a smooth and uniform flow of air before it enters the
test section. It helps in minimizing turbulence and non-uniformities in the airflow
Effuser :
After each run, the intake gets air fresh from the atmosphere. The Effuser of the wind
tunnel is the part of the wind tunnel from the beginning to the entry to the test section.
The Effuser makes the flow ready for the test section conditions.

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Test section:
The test section is the region where the model or object being tested is placed. It is
designed to have a uniform and controlled airflow. The aerodynamic properties of the
model are measured and analyzed in this section. The test section provides the desired
uniform flow conditions along and across the section. It is important that the test
section conditions are controllable.
Open Test Sections: These have no walls surrounding the test object, which allows
for testing of large objects and studying the effects of the wind on the entire
object. However, they can be less accurate than closed test sections due to interference
from the surrounding environment.
Closed Test Sections: These have walls surrounding the test object, which provides a
more controlled environment and allows for more accurate
measurements. However, they are limited in size and cannot be used to test very large
objects.
Diffuser
The diffuser decelerates the high-speed flow from the test section, thereby
achieving static pressure recovery and reducing the load of the drive system. The
flow field within the diffuser is influenced by the nature of the flow leaving the test
section. The orientation, size (blockage), and wake development of the airfoil models
are some of the factors that affect the diffuser entrance flow. The area of the diffuser
should increase gradually along its axis, so as to prevent flow separation. As with
contraction sections, diffuser geometry can be optimized.

Wind tunnel contractions

The contraction section is responsible for reducing the cross-sectional area of the
airflow, increasing its velocity while maintaining a steady and uniform flow. This
helps in achieving the desired airspeed in the test section.
Wind tunnel contraction serves a few purposes (i) Enables velocity to be low at the
location of placement of the screens. (ii) Reduces both mean and fluctuating velocity
variations to a smaller fraction of the average velocity. (iii) Reduces spatial variations
of velocity in the wind tunnel cross section.
Instrumentation:
In a wind tunnel, various instruments are used to measure pressure, temperature, and
other parameters to analyze the aerodynamic characteristics of models or objects
being tested. Here are some common instruments used for these measurements:

1. Pressure Instruments:
• Pitot Tubes: Measure dynamic pressure or total pressure.
• Static Pressure Probes: Measure static pressure.
• Pressure Transducers: Convert pressure into an electrical signal for
measurement.
2. Temperature Instruments:
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 • Thermocouples: Measure temperature by the voltage generated when
two different metals are joined.
• Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs): Measure temperature
based on the change in electrical resistance of a material with
temperature.
• Thermistors: Similar to RTDs, thermistors measure temperature based
on the change in electrical resistance but use a different type of
temperature-sensitive material.
• Infrared Thermometers: Measure temperature by detecting the
infrared radiation emitted by an object.
3. Velocity Instruments:
• Anemometers: Measure airspeed or wind velocity.
• Hot-Wire Anemometers: Measure airspeed based on the cooling effect
of airflow on a heated wire.
4. Flow Measurement Instruments:
• Pitot-Static Probes: Combine Pitot tubes for dynamic pressure and
static pressure ports for total and static pressure measurements.
• Mass Flow Meters: Measure the mass flow rate of air.
5. Strain Gauges:
• Strain gauges: Measure the deformation or strain on the wind tunnel
model.
6. Accelerometers:
• Accelerometers: Measure the acceleration of the model to study its
response to aerodynamic forces.
Various instruments are used to measure the aerodynamic parameters of the model
under test, such as airspeed, pressure, and temperature. These instruments provide
crucial data for analysis.

Drive system

The fan or drive system is responsible for generating the airflow through the
wind tunnel. It provides the necessary velocity of air for testing. The speed and
direction of the fan can be controlled to achieve different airspeeds.
The driver or power supply provides the necessary energy to run the fan and control
systems, ensuring the wind tunnel operates smoothly.

A defining characteristic is the tunnel drive system, which determines how the
working fluid is moved through the test section. Different drive systems have distinct
optimum operational modes, whose selection is dependent on the medium and the
operational regime. For an air tunnel, two primary drive systems are a
compressor and fan. In the former, pressurized air is supplied from a compressor
(usually from storage tanks) through a con trolled valve or regulator to the tunnel. In
the latter, axial or centrifugal fans or blowers either push or pull air through the
test section.

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Fans/blowers can be either shaft- or belt-driven, depending on acceptable costs and
desired performance characteristics. Compressor-driven facilities can provide large
pressure ratios for relatively little cost and are often preferred for high speed facilities
that require high stagnation pressures. The trade-off is the fixed amount of air
available for a test. Since typical compressors cannot supply the continuous mass flow
necessary, these tunnels often limit the duration of an experiment to a few minutes or
less, depending on the initial pressure, storage tank volume, and mass flowrate. Fan-
based systems can operate continuously, but the cost scales dramatically with volume
flow rate and power requirements. Fans tend to work best with low-speed facilities.

NOTE : Draw the below diagram with pencil and label the parts in pencil in left
side of RECORD)
PARTS
1. Bell mouthed section
2. Honey Comb
3. Settling Chamber, and screen section
4. Contraction cone
5. Test Section
6. Transition (square to circular)
7. Diffuser
8. Fan Duct
9. Motor and Stand

Advantages of the Open Return Tunnel

• Low construction cost.

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 • Superior design for propulsion and smoke visualization. There is no
accumulation of exhaust products in an open tunnel.

Disadvantages of the Open Return Tunnel

• Poor flow quality possible in the test section. Flow turning the corner into the
bell mouth may require extensive screens or flow straighteners. The tunnel
should also be kept away from objects in the room (walls, desks, people ...)that
produce asymmetries to the bellmouth. Tunnels open to the atmosphere are also
affected by winds and weather.
• High operating costs. The fan must continually accelerate flow through the
tunnel.
• Noisy operation. Loud noise from the fan may limit times of operation.

Closed Return Wind Tunnel

On the figure, we show a schematic drawing of an closed return wind tunnel. This
type of tunnnel is also called an Prandtl tunnel, after the German engineer, or
a Gottingen tunnel , after the research laboratory in Germany where the tunnel was
first used. Many of the large research wind tunnels of NASA are closed return tunnels.
In the closed return tunnel, air is conducted from the exit of the test section back to the
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fan by a series of turning vanes. Exiting the fan, the air is returned to the contraction
section and back through the test section. Air is continuously circulated through the
duct work of the closed return tunnel. The arrows on the figure denote the flow of air
through the wind tunnel. In the other major tunnel design, the open return tunnel, air
that passes through the test section is gathered from the room in which the tunnel is
located.
Turning Vanes:
• Purpose: Turning vanes are designed to redirect the flow of air smoothly
around corners or bends within the wind tunnel. They help ensure that the
airflow remains uniform and controlled as it navigates through changes in
direction.
Diffuser Vanes:
• Purpose: Diffuser vanes are often placed at the exit of the test section or the
end of the wind tunnel. They help in gradually slowing down the airflow and
reducing turbulence, preparing it for discharge into the surrounding
environment.
Flow Control Vanes:
• Purpose: Flow control vanes are used to manipulate and control the boundary
layer of air around the test model. They can be adjusted to simulate specific
conditions, such as high or low turbulence levels, providing insights into the
aerodynamic performance of the model under different scenarios.

The closed return tunnel has some advantages and some disadvantages relative to the
open return tunnel.

Advantages of the Closed Return Tunnel

• Superior flow quality in the test section. Flow turning vanes in the corner and
flow straighteners near the test section insure relatively uniform flow in the test
section.
• Low operating costs. Once the air is circulating in the tunnel, the fan and motor
only needs to overcome losses along the wall and through the turning vanes.
The fan does not have to constantly accelerate the air.
• Quiet operation relative to an open return tunnel.

Disadvantages of the Closed Return Tunnel

• Higher construction cost because of the added vanes and ducting.

• Inferior design for propulsion and smoke visualization. The tunnel must be
designed to purge exhaust products that accumulate in the tunnel.
• Hotter running conditions than an open return tunnel. Tunnel may have to
employ heat exchangers or active cooling

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RESULT:

Identified and Examined the key components of the subsonic wind tunnel including
the contraction cone, settling chamber, test section, diffuser, and other integral parts
by Visual inspection and the working principle of Low speed (subsonic )wind tunnel
and its types Open Return and closed Return are studied.