Naishal Patel

ISM 2A
Wysong
1/8/2016

Evidence of Learning #1 (Assessment #11)

For my original work I decided to build a wind tunnel to look at some of the
physics behind aerospace engineering as well as test some airfoils which would also
test other aerospace principles that are the foundation for the science. A wind
tunnel works on some basic physics principles that allow you to test the way air
flows around objects. Currently wind tunnels are used all around the world for
various purposes. Famous car companies like Lamborghini and Ferrari are known for
their sleek shape and aerodynamic design. Each of these companies has their own
wind tunnels in which they can test to see how well their cars work and look at the
flow of air. These wind tunnels are huge and some can fit entire jumbo jet planes.
A wind tunnel has one main use and that is to see how air flows around
certain object. If you put a cube in the box and set the airflow at it, the cube would
act like a wall where the wind would force itself around the wall at a 90 degree
angle, which means that it isnt a very aerodynamic shape as you want a more
smooth flow. For this reason engineers prefer rounder objects that dont have such a
hard hit of air. When it comes to airplanes, the biggest thing to consider is the lift
generated from a wing. An airfoil is just the cross section of a wing. By looking at
the way air flows around an airfoil, you can approximate how well the plane will
through the way the air flows around it. The entire goal of a wind tunnel is to test
the lift to drag ratio for aerodynamic objects.
There is pretty simple math behind the simpler wind tunnel. This math
accounts for the fluid dynamic principles outlined by Bernoulli. His principle states
that airflow, or fluids in general, will speed up in small cross-sectional areas. So if
you slowly go from a pipe with a radius of 10 centimeters to 5 centimeters, the

Naishal Patel
ISM 2A
Wysong
1/8/2016
velocity of the fluid has essentially doubled. This principle is applied to wind tunnels
through the test section. A wind tunnel is usually broken up into 3 major parts.

The left most part is where the air enters the tunnel. There is an air laminator which
makes the air flow fluid and smooth here. It is also larger and then cones into to
become smaller where the test section is. This speed up the air as it enters the test
section allows for the best flow possible. The rightmost side then caves back out to
slow the flow down so that the air is adjusted for the room. On this side there is also
a fan that is sucking out the air so that the process actually happened. Wind
tunnels also have a smoke generator so that that it is clearer to see the flow of air
around the object. The smoke generated allows you to see how truly the air flows

Naishal Patel
ISM 2A
Wysong
1/8/2016
around the objects. Many expensive wind tunnels will have much sensitive
equipment that measures the air speed or the lift to drag ratio to get an accurate
representation of the flow.
Wind tunnels are really useful for looking at basic aerospace principles and
have a wide variety of uses whether it is commercial or personal. Its a great way to
explore some of the physics behind it too. Overall these pieces of equipment help
engineers understand the flow of air around object better.