File:8-Foot_Transonic_Pressure_Tunnel_(9443013405).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
wind tunnel
Sign in to savetool used to study the effects of air moving past solid objects
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- scientific instrument
- Sport
- road bicycle racing
- Image
- 14x22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel (9443153331).jpg
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- Commons category
- Wind tunnels
- topic's main category
- Category:Wind tunnels
- Commons gallery
- Wind tunnel
- has role in modeling
- fluid flow
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Encyclopedic overview
A sample wind tunnel layout showing some typical features including a test section and control room, a machine for pumping air continuously through ducting, and a nozzle for setting the test airspeed.
A wind tunnel is "an apparatus for producing a controlled stream of air for conducting aerodynamic experiments". The experiment is conducted in the test section of the wind tunnel and a complete tunnel configuration includes air ducting to and from the test section and a device for keeping the air in motion, such as a fan. Wind tunnel uses include assessing the effects of air on an aircraft in flight or a ground vehicle moving on land, and measuring the effect of wind on buildings and bridges. Wind tunnel test sections range in size from less than a foot across, to over 100 feet (30 m), and with air speeds from a light breeze to hypersonic.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “wind tunnel” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.