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HowtoBuildandUseaSubsonicWindTunnel
Thishowtoguideprovidesdetailedinstructionsforconstructionanduseofasubsonicwindtunnel.Thewindtunnel
isbestusedforsciencefairprojectsingrades912.

FigureA.Thisisanexampleofthewindtunnelyoucanmake,basedonthedesignandinstructionsprovidedin
thishowtoguide!

Introduction
Didyouknowthateverysingleplane,helicopter,andspaceshipusedinAmericatodayhasbeentestedinawind
tunnel?Awindtunnelisachamberthroughwhichhighspeedairispassed.Modelsofaircraft(oractualaircraft)can
bemountedinawindtunnelsothatflightconditionscanbesimulatedandengineerscanstudyhowwelladesign
willfly.Windtunnelshavebeenusedforover100years.Infact,theWrightbrothersusedonetohelpthemfigure
outhowtobuildtheworld'sfirstsuccessfulaircraft,theWrightFlyer.

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FigureB.TheWrightFlyer.(Wikipedia,2009.
Today,windtunnelsareusedbyNASA,Boeing,NorthropGrumman,andeveryotherorganizationthatmakes
aircraftandspacecraft.Infact,NASAAMES,inMoffetField,California,hasthemostwindtunnelsatanyone
locationintheworld,andalsohasthelargestwindtunnelonEarth!Windtunnelsarealsousedforeducational
purposes.Forinstance,schoolsusethemtodemonstratehowplanesfly.Theyarealsousedinresearchprojects,
asstudentsdesignaircraftmodelsandtesttheirperformance.

FigureC.NASAAMES.Theprominentstructureintheforegroundistheworld'slargestwindtunnel.(Pinctacal,
2008.)
ScienceBuddiesisproudtoofferthishowtoguide,whichprovidesthedesignforaneducationalwindtunnelthat
youcanbuildyourself.Thoughit'scertainlynotbigenoughorsophisticatedenoughtostudyaspaceshuttleorthe
newBoeing787Dreamliner,itisexcellentforclassroomuseandforsciencefairprojects.Thedesignhasbeen
rigorouslytested,andwhileyouwilllearntheprecisemethodforbuildingaworkingwindtunnel,wethoughtitalso
importanttosharetheobstaclesweencounteredalongtheway,soyoucanavoidthesamepitfalls.Inaddition,
onceyou'vecompletedthewindtunnel,ScienceBuddieshasseveralaerodynamicsrelatedProjectIdeas,which
requiretheuseofawindtunnel,sobesuretolookthoseupandtrythemoutwhenyou'rereadyfortesting!Hereare
acoupleofexamples:WhichWingDesignCreatestheGreatestLift?(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencefair
projects/project_ideas/Aero_p004.shtml)andWingletsinWindTunnels (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencefair
projects/project_ideas/Aero_p012.shtml)

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FigureD.Thisisanexampleofaneducationalwindtunnelusedonacollegecampus,whichisover60feetlong
and10feethigh.(UCDavisWindTunnelFacility,2009.)
Beforeyougetstarted,thereareafewbasicstolearnaboutwindtunnels.First,therearetwomaintypesofwind
tunnels:closedcircuitandopencircuit.Aclosedcircuitwindtunnelisaverylargeandexpensivetypeofwind
tunnel.Itgivesengineersandscientiststhegreatestcontrolovertheflowofair,andproducesthemostefficient
andpreciseresultswhenmodelsaretested.Thewindtunnelyouwillbuildisnotaclosedcircuitwindtunnel
becausethiswouldbeveryexpensiveanddifficulttomakewithoutsophisticatedequipmentandmaterials.Instead,
youwillbemakinganopencircuittunnel,whichismorelikeatubethatisopenatbothends(seeFigureD).While
thisdesigndoesn'tallowyoutohavecompletecontroloftheairflow,itislessexpensivetobuildandrun,itcanbe
madeusingreadilyavailablematerials,anditisaneffectivedesignforeducationalpurposes.
Second,youneedtounderstandjusthowanopencircuitwindtunnelworksandwhtitmeasures.Thewindtunnelin
thisprojecthasafan,whichwilldrawairintothetunnelandpassitoveramodel,andthenreleasetheairoutofthe
otherend.Whentheairflowsaroundthemodel,itsimulatesflight.Themodelpullsonsensors,whichwilltellyou
howwellitpullsup(lift)andhowmuchtheairblowsitbackward(drag).Thesetwomeasurementsarewhatyouare
mostinterestedinasanaeronauticalengineeryouwanttoknowhowwellyourplaneliftsitself(staysintheair)
andhowwellitcutsthroughtheairandresiststheforceoftheairpushingbackagainsttheplane(howfastit
travels).Liftmeasurementgivesyoutheforceofupwardmotionoftheaironthemodel,anddraggivesyouthe
forceofbackwardmotionoftheaironthemodel.Basically,aplaneisonlyabletoflybecauseitcancontrolthe
waythattheairpushesonit.Thisiswhyawindtunnelisimportantyouwanttostudyhowairmovesaroundyour
modelbeforeyouactuallybuildtheplaneandsenditintothesky.
Third,itisimportanttoknowthatthewindtunnelfanissimilartotheenginesonaplane.Theenginespushthe
planeforward,whichmakeswindpassoverthewings.Thefandrawsairbackward,sothatitpassesoverthewings
inthesamewayasifthemodelwerepropellingitselfforward.Theproperwaytodescribethisisthatthefan
simulatesthrust.
Fourth,windtunnelsarenotperfectsimulationsofenvironmentalconditions.Thedegreetowhichtheyareflawed
representationsofactualflightismeasuredbyacalculationcalledReynoldsNumber.Thewindtunnelwhichyou
canbuildusingthishowtoguideisastudentquality,highschoolbudgettunnel,andsoitisimportantforyouto
understandthatthedataandresultsityieldsareforinstructionalandeducationalpurposesonly.Itispossiblethat
thedatawilldisagreewithestablisheddatainordertofindoutjusthowinaccuratethetunnelmaybe,youshould
researchtheconceptofReynoldsNumberanddeterminewhattheRNisforyourwindtunnel.
Finally,youshouldknowthefivebasicpartsofthewindtunnel.Fromfronttoback,theyare:TheSettlingChamber,
theContractionCone,theTestSection,theDiffuser,andtheDriveSection.(seeFigureE).

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FigureE.Diagramofanopencircuitwindtunnel.Althoughthediagramhasmanydifferentnumbereditems,you
onlyneedtobefamiliarwiththefewmentionedhere.
TheSettlingChamber(number12inFigureE)isattheveryfrontofthewindtunnel,andismadeupofscreensand
honeycombshapedmesh,whichstraightenouttheairandreduceturbulence.TheContractionCone(numbers11
and13inFigureE)forcesalargevolumeofairthroughasmallopeninginordertoincreasethewindvelocityinthe
tunnel(formoreonthis,studythecontinuityequation).TheTestSection(number10)istheplacewhereamodelis
mountedonsensors.TheDiffuser(number8inFigureE)isattheendoftheTestSection,andkeepstheair
runningsmoothlyasitgoestowardtheback.Italsoincreasesinvolumeinordertoslowtheairdownasitexitsthe
tunnel.Finally,theDriveSection(number7inFigureE)isattheverybackofthewindtunnel,anditiswherethe
fanishoused.Atfirst,itmightseemoddthatthefanisatthebackofthetunnel,facingoutward,insteadofatthe
frontbutthisisactuallythebestplacement,becauseitwilldrawairintothewindtunnelbyblowingairoutofit.
Drawingairinisbetterthanblowingairin,becauseitdoesn'tproduceasmuchturbulence,anditallowsforgreater
controloftheairflowthroughthetunnel.
Thisintroductionprovidesonlyaglimpseintothefieldofaerodynamicdesign,sobeforeyoubeginbuildingthewind
tunnel,youmaywanttodoadditionalresearchaboutbasicaerodynamicprinciples.Attheendofthisguideisa
bibliographyofthesourcesconsultedwhenthisdesignwasmade,somakesureyoucheckoutatleastafewof
thembeforeyougetstarted.WehighlyrecommendtakingalookatTheIllustratedGuidetoAerodynamics,2nd
EditionbyH.C."Skip"SmithNASA'sBeginner'sGuidetoWindTunnelswebsite(http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K
12/windtunnel.html)andtheWindTunnelDesignwebsite(http://wwwhtgl.stanford.edu/bradshaw/tunnel/index.html).Ifyoucanfinda

copy,alsocheckoutLowSpeedWindTunnelTesting,3rdEditionbyBarlow,Pope,andRae.Thisbookmightbe
difficulttofindunlessyouusealocaluniversitylibrary.Sinceyouarebuildinganopencircuitwindtunnel,youdon't
needtostudyanythingthattheseresourcessayaboutclosedcircuitwindtunnels.

ImportantNotesBeforeYouBegin
Thisdesignisforanopencircuit,closedtestsectionwindtunnelthatisabout8ft.long,andcanbetaken
apartforstorageandtransportation,suchasfordisplayinasciencefair.
Ifyourunintoanyproblemsorneedanyextrahelpbeyondtheinstructionsofthisguide,visitourSciBud
WindTunnelQuestions (http://www.stage.sciencebuddies.org/sciencefairprojects/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5002),setupjustfor
thisWindTunnelHowtoGuide.
Thiswindtunnelhasthreebasicparts:
TestSection(#testsection)
Diffuser(#diffuser)
Cone(#contractionconeContraction)
Keytermsthatyoushouldresearchbeforeyoubegin:
Angleofattack
Assemblies(engineeringcontext)
Closedcircuitwindtunnel
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Contractioncone
Diffuser
Drag
Drivesection
Lift
Opencircuitwindtunnel
Parts(engineeringcontext)
TestSection
Thrust
Settlingchamber
Variablespeeddrivesection
Voltmeter
Thematerialsyouwillneedtogathertobuildyourwindtunnelarediscussedinthenexttab(#materials).

Cost
Akeyelementtoconsiderwhenbuildingthiswindtunnelisthecost.TheScienceBuddieswindtunneldesigncost
about$275.Thispriceestimateistheresultofshoppingaroundfortheleastexpensiveproductsavailablethat
wouldstillworkproperlyinthewindtunnel.Anothercostcuttingideaisusingscrapwood,somakesureyoucollect
alloftheunusedwoodyoucanbeforeyoustartbuyingpartsforthewindtunnel.Thetwomostexpensive
componentsaretheDriveSectionfanandthePlexiglassheet(s)usedtobuildtheTestSection.

MaterialsandEquipment
Materialcostisaround$250$300,butyoucouldaskyourschooltohelppayforit.
Ifavailable,youcanuseforcesensorsandequipmentfoundinyourphysicsclassroom.
Thenextthingtothinkaboutisthelistofmaterials.Nearlyeverythingyou'llneedtobuywillcomefromalocal
hardwarestore.ThematerialsfortheScienceBuddieswindtunnel(seeFigureA)werealmostexclusivelybought
fromLowe'sHomeImprovement,TheHomeDepot,andalocallybasedhardwarestore,buttheyarereadily
availableandcanbefoundatavarietyoflocations.
First,reviewthefollowingmaterialslistandseeifyouhaveanyofthelistedpartsalready(suchasscrapwood,
screws,etc.).Makesurethatyouusewhatevergoodmaterialsyouandtheschoolalreadyhavesothatyoudon't
havetospendmoremoneythanyouneedtospend.Forinstance,youwillneedtousetwoforcesensors,which
yourschool'sphysicsdepartmentmostlikelyalreadyhas.Mosthighschoolforcesensorscostabout$100each,so
itisbesttousewhateveryourschoolalreadyhas.Ifyourschooldoesn'thaveanysensors,youwillhavetobuy
them.
Hereisabasiclistofthematerialsneeded,withcostapproximations:

PrimaryMaterials

Material

Plexiglasssheet,
2'x4'
Plywoodboard,4'

Quantity

Estimated
Costof
Total
Quantity
Low($20
$50)
Low($20

Notes

Forbestresults,thicknessshouldbegreaterthan1/4".

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x8'

Plywoodboard,
17"x17"

ScienceBuddies:HowtoBuildandUseaSubsonicWindTunnel

$50)

Low($20
$50)

Forbestresults,thicknessshouldbegreaterthan1/4".

Thiswillmostlikelyhavetobecutfromalargerboard
althoughunusual,thedimensionsarebasedon
calculationsandmustbeusedforbestresults,
thicknessshouldbeasgreataspossible.

Fanwithblade
diameterof14in.
andentirefan
diameterno
greaterthan17in.

Average
($50$100)

Forbestresults,CFMratingshouldbebetween1600
and2000,andfanshouldbedesignedforgable
mounting.

Oakboards,2'x
4'

Low($20
$50)

Forbestresults,thicknessshouldbegreaterthan1/4".

Eggcratemesh
board

Low($20
$50)

Basicallyanarrayofdeepcells(seeFigureA).

Woodenlattice,
1.5"x1/4"x8'

Verylow
(under$20)

Woodencorner
guard,8'

Verylow
(under$20)

Rollofaluminum
screen

Verylow
(under$20)

Smallhandheld
personalcooling
fan

Verylow
(under$20)

Verylow
(under$20)

Thiswillblocktheexitofthefansothatchildrendonot
puttheirhandsintothefan.Makesurethatthewirecells
aresmallenoughtopreventfingersfromgettingthrough.

Adhesiverubber
gasketstripping,
atleast8ft.

Verylow
(under$20)
tolow($20
$50)

Thiswillbeusedattheopeningsofthethreeassemblies
toensurethatairdoesnotescape.Itshouldbean
adhesivegasketstripping.

Springs

Low($20
$50)

Mediumdutycoilsprings,3ft.orso,withclosedloops
ateachend(youwillbelatchingeachendontohooks).

Cutofwiresheet,
enoughtocovera
17"x17"area

Soldering

With
permission,
borrowfrom

About36"x48"

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Soldering
materials

borrowfrom
schoolor
someone
youknow

With
permission,
borrowfrom
schoolor
someone
youknow

Electricalwiring
materials

SmallLbrackets
withtwoscrew
holes

Verylow
(under$20)

Smalldrawer
handles

Low(under
$20)
With
permission,
obtainfrom
school,
home,or
someone
youknow.

Scrapwood

Thiswilldependonwhatyouhave,orwhatyourschool
orsomeoneyouknowhasavailable.Ifyoucan'tobtain
anyscrapwood,youcanalwaysbuyextrapiecesof
wood.Youwillusethescrapwoodtomakestandsand
basesforyourwindtunnel.

SecondaryMaterials

Material

EstimatedCost

Notes

Saws

Withpermission,
borrowfromschool,
home,orsomeone
youknow.

Thetypesofsawsyouuseisup
tothecarpenter/woodshop
teacherwhowillbehelpingyou.

Drill

Withpermission,
borrowfromschool,
home,orsomeone
youknow.

Woodglue

1bottle

Verylow(under$20)

Screws,woodscrews,nuts,
bolts,washers,lockwashers,
screwdrivers,relatedmaterials

Quantity

Withpermission,
obtainfromschool,
home,orsomeone
youknow.

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Again,thenumberandtypeof
thesematerialsyouneedwillbe
uptoyourcarpenter/woodshop
teacher.

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youknow.

Withpermission,
borrowfromschool,
home,orsomeone
youknow.

Silicone

1tube

Low(under$20)

Constructionsealant

1tube

Low(under$20)

Measuringtape

Withpermission,
borrowfromschool,
home,orsomeone
youknow.

Zipties

Atleast
20

Low(under$20)

1pair

Withpermission,
borrowfromschool,
home,orsomeone
youknow.

Workgloves

1pair

Withpermission,
borrowfromschool,
home,orsomeone
youknow.

Earplugs

1pair

Verylow(under$20)

Safetygoggles

teacher.

Trytofindaspecialtypethatis
intendedforusewithclear
plastics.

SchoolDonatedEquipment

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Material

Quantity

Notes

Multiforce
sensors

Borrowthesefromyourschool,ifyoucan.Ifnot,companiessuchasVernier
Scientific (http://www.vernier.com/)supplythese.

Computer

Willconnecttoforcesensorsandstore/displaytheircollecteddata.

Voltmeter

VariableAC
transformer

Borrowfromyourschool,ifyoucan.Ifnot,companiessuchasVariac
(http://www.variac.com/)supplythese.

Anoteaboutthelargefan:Youwillmostlikelywantagablemountedatticfan.Thesearepowerful,easytomount,
andrelativelyinexpensive(althoughitisthesinglemostexpensivepartontheentiretunnel).Itisbesttogetafan
withaCFM(cubicfeetperminute)ratingofbetween1600and2000,becausethesearepowerfulenoughtobe
reliable(sourcesinthebibliographysuggestafanwith34cubicfeetpersecond,whichisabout2040CFM).They
costabout$100orso.Makesureyoufindafanyoucanaffordthatfitsinthatpricerange.Also,youmaybeable
togetadiscountforthefan,sinceitistobeusedforeducationalpurposes.ThefanintheScienceBuddieswind
tunnelwaspurchasedfromaLowe'shardwarestorewitha10%discount.Makesuretotalktoacustomerservice
associateaboutapossiblediscount.
Finally,youwillberelyingonthehelpofothers,somakesurethatyoucanfindteachers,adults,orindustry
professionalswhocanhelpyouwiththefollowing:
Cuttingwoodwithhighpowersaws(woodshopteacherorcarpenterrecommended)
Simplebuildingmechanics(woodshopteacherorcarpenterrecommended)
Simplewiring(physicsteacherorelectricianrecommended)
Simplesoldering(physicsteacherormetalshopteacherrecommended).
Nowthatwe'vecoveredallofthebasics,youarereadytobuildyourwindtunnel!TheinstructionsintheTest
Section(#testsection),Diffuser(#diffuser),ContractionCone(#contractioncone),andAssembling(#assembling)tabsaremeantto
guideyourprogressasyoubuild,butthestepsdonotnecessarilyneedtobefollowedtotheletter.Ifthepeople
withwhomyouareworkinghavedifferentideasfromthosepresentedhere,suchashowtofastencertainparts
together,thenimplementwhatevermethodyouboththinkisbest.Remember,buildingthewindtunnelisalearning
experiencefollowthedirections,butdon'tbeafraidtogobeyondthemortotrydifferentideas!
Thiswindtunnelisdesignedwithportabilityinmind.Althoughitisabout8ft.long,itiscomposedofthreedifferent
sections,whichcaneasilybedetachedfromeachotherforstorage,transportation,andmodelmounting.Thethree
assembliesareasfollows:TestSectionAssembly,DiffuserAssembly,andContractionConeAssembly.The
followinginstructionswillwalkyou,stepbystep,throughtheconstructionofeachofthethreesections.Sincethis
isanengineeringproject,allmaterialswillbereferredtoasparts,andallbuiltportions(suchaseachofthethree
mainsections)willbereferredtoasassemblies.

BuildingtheTestSectionAssembly
Thisassemblyisthemostdelicatepartofthetunnel,becauseithousesthemodelandincludestheliftanddrag
sensorysystem.Itwilllooklikethefollowing:

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Figure1A.ThefullTestSectionAssembly.
TheTestSectionAssemblyiscomposedoftheTestSection(Plexiglas)andtheTestSectionBase(woodenstand
andsensormounts).MakesureyoutakealookatthesetwomajorfeaturesinFigure1Abeforeyoumoveon.
Forthisassembly,youwillneedthefollowingparts:
Plexiglassheet
Lbrackets
Screws
Washers/lockwashers,bolts
Drill
Silicone
Scrapwood
Beforeyoubeginthissection,youneedtoknowwhattypeofsensorsyouwillusetocollectforcedata,andyouwill
needtoworkwithyourcarpenter/woodshopteachertodesigntheproperbase,whichwilldependonwhatkindof
scrapwoodyouhaveavailable,orhowmuchmorewoodyouneedtobuy.Thishowtoguide,fortheScience
Buddieswindtunnel,usestwoDualRangeForceSensors,madebyVernier(http://www.vernier.com)(seeFigure1A).

PartA:PlexiglasTestSection
1. ThefirststepofbuildingthisassemblyistocutthelargePlexiglasboardintofoursmallerboards.The
PlexiglasportionoftheTestSectionwillbe1'x1'x2',soyouneedtocutthe2'x4'sheetintofour1'x2'
sheets.ThiscaneasilybedoneatyourlocalhardwarestorewhereyoupurchasedthePlexiglasyoumight
evenwanttohaveitcutthesamedaythatyoubuyit,tosavetime.InthePlexiglasproductssectionofthe
store,thereshouldbeacuttingstation,whichusuallycutsPlexiglasforfree.Bringyourboardtothisstation
andmakesurethatthecutterunderstandsthatyouneedfourboards,eachwithdimensions1'x2'.
2. Next,youwillconnectthefourboardstogetherusingsiliconetomakearectangularprism(theTestSection
partoftheTestSectionAssembly).Youshoulduseaspecialtypeofsiliconethatisbestforclearplastics,
availableatyourlocalhardwarestore.Thisstepcanbeverytricky,somakesurethatyouworkwitha
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mechanicallyinclinedadultwhocanhelpyouputittogetherproperly.Holdtwooftheboardslengthwiseso
thattheyareperpendicularandformacorner.Makesurethattheirtouchingedgesareflushwitheachother.
Thisishowyouwantthetwoboardstolookonceyouhaveconnectedthemusingthesilicone.Now,take
themapartandwithyourhelper'sassistance,carefullyrunalineofsiliconeattheedgeofafaceononeof
theboards,notontheedgeofoneoftheboards.Thisway,youwillbeabletoputtheedgeoftheotherboard
rightontothesilicone.
3. Now,herecomesthetrickypartyouhavetoplacetheedgeofthesecondboardontothesiliconeonthe
firstboard.Youshoulddothiswiththeboardsstandingup,notlyingdowninotherwords,setthembothon
oneoftheir1ft.edges,thenputthemtogetherandholdthemastheystandthatway.SeeFigure1B.

Figure1B.Stickthetwoboardstogethersothattheystandononeoftheir1ft.edges.
4. Gentlyholdthetwoboardstogether.Youwantthemtostayinplace,butyoudon'twanttoaccidentallymove
themwhilethesiliconeisdrying.Makeabsolutelysurethatthetwoboardsareflushwitheachothersothat
theyformanice,straight,perfectcorner,asinFigure1B.
5. Afterholdingthetwotogetherforabout510minutes,youcanletgoofthemandletthemstand.Makesure
thattheydonotfalldown,becauseittakesseveralhoursforthesiliconetofullyadherethetwoboards
together.
6. YounowhavehalfofyourTestSection.Tofinishthepart,youshouldcontinueattachingoneboardata
time,ratherthanmakinganothercorneroutoftheothertwoboardsandtryingtoattachthetwocorners.
Attachingoneboardatatimegivesyouthegreatestcontroltryingtoattachtwocornersistooriskyandthe
boardscouldslip,spreadingthesiliconeonthePlexiglas.
7. Asyouattachtheboardsedgetoface,youwillnoticethatyoudonothaveanexact1'x1'openinginthe
TestSection.Thisisbecausesomeoftheboardsneedtobeflushwiththeothersinordertoattachthem
properly.Thiscouldpresentaproblembecauseyouwillneedtokeeptrackofthewayyouattachtheboards
sothatyoucankeepitconsistentwiththe1'x1'openingsintheothertwoassemblies.Your
carpenter/woodshopteachershouldknowhowtodothisandcanhelpyoukeeptrack.Thisisimportant,
becausetheairflowneedssmoothwallsinsidethewindtunnelinordertoflowproperly,sothethreepieces
needtomatchupwhenyouputthemtogether.
a. Asbefore,runlinesofsiliconeandcarefullyattachtheboardstogether.Waitforthesiliconetostartto
drythisisabittedious,buttheTestSectionisveryimportantsomakesurethatyougiveenough
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timefortheboardstosticktogether.Withyourhelper,maketheTestSection,andleaveitstanding
ononeofthetwoendsinasafeplacefor1224hours(dependingonhowlongthesiliconeneedsto
fullydrycheckthelabelonitscontainer).Onceithasfullydried,youcansetitonitslongsides,as
inFigure1C.Thesiliconeholdstheboardstogether,butisverypliableandisnotverystrong,sodo
notflextheboardsorpickatthesilicone.SeeFigure1CforapictureofwhatyourPlexiglasTest
Sectionshouldlooklike.

Figure1C.ThePlexiglasTestSection,heldtogetheronlybysilicone.
8.

b. Sincethesiliconeissoweak,itisnecessarytoreinforcetheTestSection.Todothis,youwillscrew
cornerbracketsintotheTestSection,atitseightendcorners,inordertokeepittogetherandtogive
itgreaterstructuralintegrity.Notethatyouwillneedadrill,eightcornerbrackets,screws,nuts,and
smalllockwashers.Makesureyouletthesiliconedrybeforeyoureinforcewithbrackets,as
describedinstep8.
9. Withyourmechanicallyinclinedhelper'sassistance,markthepointsoneachboardoftheTestSection
whereholeswillbedrilled.TheholesshouldberatherclosetotheedgesoftheTestSection,shouldallhave
thesamemeasureddistancesfromtheedges,andshouldallbeintheproperplacessothatcornerbrackets
canbescrewedontotheTestSection.Therewillbe16holesinallfouroneachoftheboards.Pilot(test)
holesshouldbedrilledfirst,foraccuracy,followedbyholeslargeenoughthatscrewscanfitin.
10. Onceall16holeshavebeenmarkedanddrilled,itistimetoattachthecornerbrackets.Thispartcouldbe
tricky,becauseyouhalfofthescrews'roundedheadswillbeinsidetheTestSection,whiletheotherhalfwill
beoutsideoftheTestSection.Specifically,thescrewsheadsontheleftandrightsidesoftheTestSection
(whenitliesonits2ft.dimension)willbeoutsideoftheTestSection,whilethescrewheadsonthetopand
bottomwillbeinsidetheTestSection.Althoughthismaybeconfusing,itisactuallyverysimpleonceyou
definewhichboardsoftheTestSectionarethetop,thebottom,andthetwosides.
a. IfyouarewonderingwhythescrewsneedtobeputintotheTestSectiontwodifferentways,ithasto
dowiththewaythatthethreeassemblieswillconnecttogetherintheendtomakethefullwindtunnel
assembly.ThescrewswiththeirheadsontheoutsideoftheTestSectionneedtobeonthesidesof
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theTestSection,becausetheywillbeattachedwithspringstotheothertwoassemblies,sothatthe
springsholdtheentirewindtunneltogetherandmakeitairtight.
b. Whynotjusthaveallofthescrewsthisway?Youneedasfewscrewsaspossiblewiththeirthreaded
endsgoingintotheTestSection,becausetheywoulddisturbtheairflow.Youwanttohaveaslittle
turbulenceaspossibleintheTestSection.So,forthescrewsonthetopandbottomoftheTest
Section,makesurethattheroundedheadsaretheendsontheinside,sothattheaircansmoothly
passoverthemetal.
c. Note:Youmightnoticeinthefollowingpicturesthatthescrewsarenotplacedaspreviously
described.Instead,theyareallorientedwiththeirroundedheadsinsidetheTestSection.Thisisa
resultoftheengineeringdesignprocesstheideaofhowthethreeassembliesweregoingtoconnect
changedaftertheTestSectionwasbuiltandthepicturesweretaken,sothescrewswerereplaced
lateronsothattheheadswereoutsideoftheTestSectionandnotontheinside.
11. AttachthecornerbracketssothatthepartonthesideoftheTestSectionhasitsscrewheadoutofthe
section,whilethepartonthetop/bottomoftheTestSectionhasitsscrewheadontheinside.Donotmixup
thesidesrememberwhichonesyoudefinedassidesandwhichonesyoudefinedastop/bottom.Perhaps
usestickynotestohelpyouremember.Yourhelperwillknowthebestwaytousethedrill,nuts,lock
washers,andscrews,butmakesureyoualsounderstand.Figure1Dshowsanedgeonperspectiveofthis
reinforcementnotethebracketwithitsscrews,andthesilicone,whichalsokeepstheTestSection
together.

Figure1D.Edgeonviewofanattachedcornerbracket.
a. Figure1EshowsthefullyreinforcedTestSection.

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Figure1E.TestSectionfullyreinforcedbycornerbrackets.Edgeonviewofanattachedcornerbracket.
OnceyouhavecompletelyconnectedthefourPlexiglasboardstogether,youhavefinishedtheTestSectionpartof
theTestSectionAssembly.NowyoumustmaketheBaseoftheTestSectionAssembly.

PartB:BaseofthePlexiglasTestSection
1. Thispartofthewindtunnelisdependentuponhowmuchscrapwoodyouhaveavailabletoyou,andwhat
kindofforcesensorsyouwilluse.Talktoyourmechanicallyinclinedhelperaboutwhatdesignyoushouldgo
with,andfigureoutthebestwaytobuildit.WhatyouabsolutelyneedisaBasethatwillstronglysupportthe
TestSection,andthatwillbelargeenoughthatitcannoteasilytipover.Becauseofthis,youwillmostlikely
wantaboardfortheBasewithdimensionsofabout1.5'x2'sothatitisjustaslongastheTestSection,but
slightlywider.YoualsowanttohavetwolegsthatconnecttheTestSectiontoitsBase,andtheyshouldbe
nearthefrontandbackendsoftheTestSection.ReferbacktoFigure1A.
2. BeforeyouattachtheTestSectiontoitsBase,youneedtomakeadecision.Youwillberunningarod,or
somesortofmountingobject,throughthebottomboardoftheTestSection,inordertomountamodel.This
objectwillattachtotheforcesensorsunderneathit.Decideonwhatkindofholeyouneedinthebottomof
theTestSection,throughwhichyourobjectwillbeinserted,anddecideifitwillbeeasiertomakethehole
beforeoraftertheTestSectionisattachedtotheBase.FortheScienceBuddieswindtunnel,weuseda
threadedrodwithasmalldiameter,soasmallcircularholewasdrilledinthebottomoftheTestSection.
Whateveryouuse,makesurethattheholeislargeenoughsothattheroddoesnottouchthesidesofthe
hole,evenwhenthefanisturnedon.Thiswilldisturbthesensorreadingsandproduceinaccurateresults.
3. Also,youneedtofigureoutthebestwaytoattachyourforcesensors.Youwillneedtwooneforliftand
onefordrag.Youabsolutelymusthaverightangles(asperfectasyoucanmakethem)betweenthedrag
sensorandyourconnectionrod,sothatnocomponentoftheliftforceaffectsthedragmeasurement.See
Figure1AfortheexamplefromtheScienceBuddieswindtunnel.Noticehowonesensorismountedsothat
therodcomesstraightupoutofit(liftsensor)andtheotherismountedsothatitsrodisperpendiculartothe
otherforcerod(dragsensor).
a. AsyoucanseefromFigure1A,theBasewasmadesothatithastwosmoothrodsontowhichthe
sensorscaneasilyclamp.Inthesameway,youandyourhelpermustdecideonthebestwayto
mountthesensorsyouhave,andmakesurethattheywillbecompletelyperpendicularsothatyou
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cangetthemostaccuratereadingspossible.Youmustalsomakesurethatthelongobjectsyouuse
tomountthemodelareveryrigidandwillnotbendormovearoundinthewind,becausethiswillalso
alteryourreadings.
4. Finally,youneedtofigureoutawaytomountyourmodelsothatitcanbegivenanangleofattackinorder
tobetestedfrommorethanjustthefixedmountingposition.FortheScienceBuddieswindtunnel,therod
thatattachestothemodelisbendablesothatitsanglecanbemeasuredbeforeitisinsertedintotheTest
Sectionandamodelismountedonit.

BuildingtheDiffuserAssembly
Thisassemblyhousesthefanandthewindspeedsensor.Itisperhapstheeasiestofthethreeassembliestobuild.
Itwilllooklikethefollowing:

Figure2A.ThefullDiffuserAssembly.
Thisisthelargestassembly,anditistheonlyonethatismadeupofelectroniccomponentsandwiring,soyouwill
needthehelpofyourphysicsteacheroranelectrician,aswellasacarpenterorwoodshopteacher.Itiscomposed
oftheDiffuser,theDriveSection(fan),DriveSectionControl(fanswitch),WindSpeedSensor,andtheDiffuser
Base.MakesurethatyouidentifythesecomponentsinFigure2Abeforemovingon.
Forthisassembly,youwillneedthefollowingparts:
4'x8'plywoodboard
17"x17"plywoodboard
Gablemountedfan
Electricalwiringmaterials(foranon/offswitch)
Smallhandheldcoolingfan
Wiresheet(17"x17")
Rubbergasket,4'
Woodglue
Woodscrews,washers,lockwashers,bolts
Drill
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Nailgun
ScrapwoodfortheBase
Drawerhandles(2)
AswiththeTestSection,youwillneedtoworkwithyourcarpenter/woodshopteachertodesigntheproperbasefor
thislongassembly.Again,itdependsonwhatkindofscrapwoodyouhaveavailable,orhowmuchmorewoodyou
canbuy.

PartA:DriveSection
ThefirstpartoftheDiffuserAssembly'sconstructionistheDriveSection.Thisiscomposedofthefanandthe17"
x17"board.Theboardis17"onallfoursides,basedonanaeronauticalratiogiveninLowSpeedWindTunnel
Testing(Barlow,Pope,andRae,1999).TheareaoftheDriveSection(thelargeendoftheDiffuser)shouldbe23
timesthatoftheareaoftheendoftheTestSection(alsotheareaofthesmallendoftheDiffuser),withbest
resultsiftheratiois2:1.Theareaof17"x17"isalmostexactlytwicethatof12"x12"(289squareinches:144
squareinchesisalmostequalto2:1),whichiswhytheboardshouldbe17"x17".Theboardshouldalsoberather
thickinordertoholdthefantightlyandtokeeptheDiffuserstable.
1. TheboardwillbethebackendoftheDiffuserAssembly,sothefanneedstobemountedtoit.First,you
needtocutacircularholeintheboardthathasadiameterjustaboutthatofthefanblades,sothatalltheair
blownbythefangoesthroughthehole.Theholeneedstobecenteredontheboardandshouldbeascircular
aspossible.

Figure2B.Youcanseethattheholeislargeenoughsothatallblownairwillgothroughthecircularhole.
2. Next,placethefanfacedownovertheholetomakesureitfitsproperly,andscrewitintoplace(using
washers)sothatitisfirmlyattachedtotheboard.Onceyouhavedonethis,youhavecompletedtheDrive
Sectionassemblyofthewindtunnel.TheDriveSectionwillserveasthefoundationfortherestofthe
Diffuser.ItiseasiesttobuildupfromtheDriveSection,soleaveitonyourworktable,facedown.Thefan
willblowoutofthewindtunnel,notintoit,whichiswhytheDriveSectionisatthebackendofthewind
tunnelandwhyyouwillbuildupfromthefacedownDriveSection.

PartB:DiffuserBody
1. Next,haveyour4'x8'boardcutintofourpieces.Thepiecesneedtobeequal,trapezoidalshapes.Onebase
ofthetrapezoidshouldbe17"inlengthandtheothershouldbe12"inlength.Haveyourcarpenter/woodshop
teacherhelpyou.MakesuretocheckbacktoFigure2A(#Figure2A)ifyouareconfused.Theseboardswillform
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thesidewallsoftheDiffuser.
2. Onceallfourhavebeencut,setasideallofyourscrapwood(youmayneeditlater).Youwillattachallfour
trapezoidalboardstotheDriveSectioninordertomaketheDiffuser.Beforeyoustart,makesureyou
understandwhattheDiffuserdoesandwhatitlookslike(seeFigure2A(#Figure2A)again).TheDiffusertakesa
smallvolumeofair(passingoutoftheTestSectionthrougha1'x1'area)andexpandsitintoalarger
volumeofair(thisiswhytheDiffuserhasalargeendandasmallend).Thefourboardsarecutinto
trapezoidssothattheycanallbeattachedontheirlongestedgestoformthepyramidlikeshapeyouseein
Figure2A(#Figure2A).
3. Togetstarted,makesureyouhavewoodglue,adrill,andanailgunhandy.Holdoneoftheboardssothat
the17"edgeisupagainsttheedgeoftheDriveSection,andsothatbotharelyingdownonthetable.You
willputwoodglueonthetrapezoidalboardandthenstanditupsothatitbecomesattachedtotheDrive
Section.Runalineofwoodgluealongthefaceofthetrapezoidalboardatthe17"end,andthenstanditup
sothatitbecomesgluedtotheedgeoftheDriveSection.Holditforafewminutestoallowthegluetodry,
andthendrilltwoorthreescrewswithwashersintotheboardssothattheyareheldtogetherwithoutyour
helpanymore.Thiswillkeeptheglueinplacewhileitdries,andallowyoutoattachtheotherthreeboards.
SeeFigure2Cforavisual.

Figure2C.Inthisfigure,twoofthetrapezoidalboardshavebeenattachedtotheDiffuseralready.
4. Beforeyouattachallfourboards,makesurethatyoucutaholeinoneofthemthroughwhichyoucanruna
tube,housingthecontrolwiresfromthefan.SeeFigure2Dforavisual.Cuttheholetobeassmallas
possible,andsothatthetubefitssnuglythroughitandplugsittopreventtheescapeofairflow.Ifthetube
hasacontrolboxontheend,removeit,becauseyouwillneedtorunthetubethroughyourhole,andyouwill
attachyourowncontrolboxtothewireslater.

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Figure2D.RunthewiresfromthefanthroughaholeinoneoftheDiffuserwalls.
Youshouldusesiliconetoglueitinplaceandsealanypossibleopeningsthroughwhichaircouldescape.
5. Attachtherestoftheboards.WhenyouhavegluedanddrilledthemallintotheDriveSection,youwillhave
somethingthatlooksliketheDiffuserofFigure2A(#Figure2A),butwithoutthefourboardsattachedtoeach
other.
6. Waitforthegluetodrybeforeyoucontinue.Yournextstepistoattachthefourboardstogethersothatyou
haveanenclosedandairtightDiffuserbody.Thiswillbealittletrickybecauseyouwillhavetobendthe
boardsalittle,andholdthemtogether.Youwillusewoodglueandanailgun,somakesurethatyour
carpenter/woodshopteacheriscarefulwhenfiringnailsintotheboards.Yourgoalistoattachthemsothat
youhaveasquareholeatthetop,withthesamedimensionsastheTestSection'send,12"x12".
7. BeginbyrecallingthewaythatthePlexiglasboardswereconnectedyouusedsiliconetoattachtheedgeof
onetothefaceoftheother.Inthesameway,youwillattachtheedgeofoneboardtothefaceoftheother.
You'llalsoneedtomakesurethatyouhaveonedimensionofthe12"x12"openingslightlylongerthanthe
other,justaswiththeTestSection,sothattheyfitproperlytogether.
Inordertodothisproperly,youneedtoclearlydefinewhichboardsarethesides,andwhicharethetopand
bottomoftheDiffuser.Thisshouldbeeasytorememberbecausetheboardwiththeholeandwiretubewill
beasideboard,sokeepthatinmind.MakesurethatthesquareholewillbeflushwiththeTestSection's
hole,sothattheairwillhaveasmoothtransitionasitpassesfromtheTestSectiontotheDiffuser.
8. BeginclosingtheDiffuserbyrunningalineofgluealongtheedgeofoneofthetoporbottomboards.Then,
beforeallthegluerunsdownanddripsoff,holdthetwoboardstogetherasbestasyoucansothatthe
edgesareclosedandformagoodcorner.Haveyourhelperfireaseriesofnailsintothecorner,throughthe
faceofthesideboard,intotheedgeoftheotherboard,sothatthelengthofthenailgoesintowoodinstead
ofpointingouttheothersideoftheboards.Youwon'tbeabletosealitatthecorneroftheDriveSection
becausetheboardswillbebent,butthiswillbefixedlatersodon'tworry.
9. Attachallfouroftheboardstogetherinthisway,keepinginmindthatthetop/bottomboardsneedtobe
attachedbytheiredgestotheinsidefacesofthesideboards.Youshouldnowhaveapyramidlikeobject,
whichlooksverysimilartothatinFigure2A(#Figure2A).LeaveitstandingontheDriveSectionandletitdryfor
awhile.
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10. Oncethegluehasdried,youcansettheDiffuserononeofitssides.Inspectallofthepointsofcontactof
allthevariousboards,andmakesurethattheyareairtight.Firemorenailsintoweakconnectionsto
reinforcethem,andusesiliconeanywherethatdoesnotseemairtight(exceptforthefourlargeholesatthe
cornersoftheDriveSection).YoumaywanttofireaseriesofnailsintotheDriveSectiontoreinforcethe
drilledscrewsandsothattheboardsarefirmlyattachedtotheDriveSection,whichisrelativelyheavy.
11. Inordertosealthelargeholesinthefourcorners,getyourconstructionsealantandhaveyourteacher
carefullysealtheholes,asshowninFigure2E.

Figure2E.FullysealedDiffusercorner.
12. YourDiffusershouldnowbefullysealed.Beforeyoumoveon,thereisonefinalairflowconcerntoaddress.
LookdownintoyourDiffusertoseetheDriveSectionfan.Noticethatthefaniscircular,buttheendisa
square,andthatthecornersoftheboardareactuallywallsthatwilldisturbtheairflow.Thiscancause
turbulenceintheDiffuserandaffecttheairflowintherestofthewindtunnel.However,yourfanwillnegate
almostallofthisturbulencebydrawingthecornerairtothecircleandblowingitout.Lookdownintothe
insidecorneroftheDiffuser,throughtheDriveSection'sfanhole(asinFigure2F).Ifyourfanisliketheone
usedbyScienceBuddies,thenthereisplentyofopenspacethroughwhichthefanwilldrawthedisturbed
cornerairandblowitoutbeforeitaffectstheairintherestofthewindtunneltoomuch.Makesureyou
understandthissothatyoucanexplainitlaterifneedbe,andciteitasasourceoferrorwhenyoucompose
yourreportforanysciencefairprojectyoudo.

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Figure2F.Thefangivesplentyofspaceforairtopassfromthecornerstotheblades.
TurbulencecreatedatthecornersoftheDriveSectionissuckedintothefanandblownoutoftheDiffuser.
13. Beforeyoumakeyourcontrolboxforthefan,youneedtotakecareofapotentialsafetyissue.Thefan
spinsveryquicklyandisverysharp,whichcouldseverelyinjurefingersandhands.Toprotectagainstthis,
takethecutofwiresheetandattachittotheDriveSection.Usescrewsandlargewashers,andmakesure
thattheedgesofthewiresheetarenotsharpordangerous.RefertoFigure2A(#Figure2A)toseehowthesheet
lookswhenattached.

PartC:ElectricalControlBox
NowthatyouhavemadetheDriveSectionsafe,itistimetoputyourcontrolboxtogether.Basically,youwillusea
switchlikethoseyouusetoturnonlightsinyourhouse.Notethatwindtunnels,liketheUCDaviswindtunnel,
actuallyhavemanyspeedsfortheirfans,insteadofjustonandoff.Thisisknownasavariablespeeddrive
section.Whileitwouldbeidealtohaveavariablespeedswitchforyourwindtunnel,itismorepracticaltohavethe
on/offswitch,becauseitisdifficulttofindavariablespeedswitchforthepurposesofthisproject.Adimmerwillnot
workbecauseyouneedtoknowtheexactspeedofyourfanandbeabletoreproducetheexactspeedwitha
quantitativebutton,insteadofwithaqualitativedial.Othertypesofswitchesareusuallytooweaktohandlethe
voltageofanatticfan.Sinceitissodifficulttofindavariablespeedswitch,itisbesttouseanonoffswitchand
thenplugthefanintoavariableACtransformer(seeifyourphysicsteacherhasapieceofequipmentlikethis).
Thisway,youcanquantitativelysettheamountofpowerthatyourfanwilluse,andthenturniton,essentially
givingyouvariablespeedcontrol.Thiswillbementionedagainlater.
1. Puttingtogethertheon/offswitchshouldbefairlysimpleforyourelectricallyinclinedhelper,soallowhimor
hertodeterminethebestwaytomakeit.Allthatyouneedisanon/offswitchforthefan,mountedontothe
sideboardofthediffuser.SeeFigure2A(#Figure2A)forreference.
2. Onceyouhavefullyassembledthefancontrol,itisfinallytimetotestthefan!Bringthediffusertoanarea
wherethereisanoutlet,andplugitinandturniton.Todemonstratethatthefandrawsairintothewind
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tunnel,securelyholdalightobjectatthesmallopeningoftheDiffuserandseewhathappenswhenthefanis
turnedon.AsinFigure2G,theobjectshouldbedrawnintotheDiffuserwithaconsiderableamountofforce.
Note:Makesurethatyouholdontightsothattheobjectdoesn'tflyoutofyourhandsandgetchoppedupby
thefan!

Figure2G.TheeffectoftheDriveSectionfanisdemonstratedhereusingaglove.

PartD:Base
NextyouneedtobuildaBasefortheDiffuser.AswiththeTestSection,checkwithyourcarpenter/woodshop
teachertodeterminethebestandsafestwaytodothiswiththewoodthatyoualreadyhave.Youmayneedtobuy
morepiecesofwood,dependingonwhatkindofscrapyouhaveavailable.AnexampleofagoodDiffuserBase
designisgiveninthefollowingfigure:

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Figure2H.AnexampleofaDiffuserBase.
NotethattheBasemaybedifficulttobuild,giventheshapeoftheDiffuser.Itneedstostandlevelontheground,
butthebottomsideoftheDiffuserslantsdownfromfronttoback.Makesurethatyourcarpenter/woodshopteacher
recordstheangleofslantandthatyoubuildtheBasesothatitattachesataslant,inordertokeeptheDiffuser
levelwiththegroundandtherefore,alignedwiththedirectionofairflowthroughtheTestSection.

PartE:Gaskets,SpringHooks,Handles,andtheWindSpeedSensor
1. TakeanotherlookatFigureAintheObjectivesection(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencefairprojects/windtunnel
toc.shtml#introduction)ofthishowtoguide.Recallthatthewindtunneliscomposedofthreemaincomponents,

whichwillbeheldtogetherbyspringsandcanbeeasilytakenapart.Thisassumesthatthecomponentsfit
witheachotheratthe1'x1'openings.Obviouslytheywillnotfitperfectly,sotocompensateforthis,you
needtoattachrubbergasketstotheedgesoftheDiffuserandContractionCone,whichwillcomeinto
contactwiththeTestSection.Cutyourrubbergasketintofour1'x1'strips,oneforeachofthefouredgesof
theDiffuser'sfrontend.Makesurethattheyarecuttotheproperlength.Peeloffthepaperonthebackand
attacheachgaskettoitsedge,makingsurethattheydonotstickouttoomuchintothe1'x1'area.Ifthey
do,itwilldisrupttheairflowasitpassesfromtheTestSectiontotheDiffuser.Also,makesurethatthe
cornerswheretheymeethaveaslittleseparationaspossible.Iftheyaretooseparated,aircouldleakoutof
themanddisrupttheairflow.Seethefollowingfiguresforvisualaids.

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Figure2I.RubbergasketstrippingonthefrontedgesoftheDiffuser.

Figure2J.Exampleofawellcoveredcorner.
ThisisapictureofacornerfromtheContractionCone,whichwillbebuiltinthenextsection.
ItservesasanexampleforthegasketsontheDiffuser.
2. YouarealmostfinishedwiththeDiffuserAssembly!Nowyouneedtoaddfourspringconnecterscrewsto
theDiffuser,whichwillbeusedtoconnectthethreewindtunnelcomponents.RecallfrombuildingtheTest
Sectionthatyoutheheadsofthescrewsneedtobeontheoutsidesothatthespringscanhookontothem.
Youwillusescrews,washers,nuts,andlockwashers,asbefore,andthethreadedendswillprotrudeintothe
Diffuser.Again,thisisaslightdisturbancetotheairflow,butitisnecessaryinordertogetthespringsto
hooktheDiffusertotheTestSection.TrytomakethescrewsprotrudeintotheDiffuseraslittleaspossible,
asinFigure2I,inwhichonlythenutprotrudesintotheairflow.Makesurethatthescrewsareinthesame
positions,relativetothe1'x1'openingontheDiffuser,astheyareontheTestSection.Youmightwantto
putthetwocomponentssidebysideinordertomakesurethatthescrewsarealignedproperly.Youwill
attachthetwosectionstogetherusingspringshookedontothesescrews,sotheiralignmentisimportant.
3. Thenextstepistoattachthewindspeedsensor,whichismadeusingthesmall,handheldpersonalfan.You
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maybewonderinghowafancanbeawindspeedmonitor,sinceitisusedtoblowairinsteadoftomeasure
wind.Actually,itcanbeusedforeitherpurpose.Ifusedasafan,voltageisaninput(batteries),andifused
asamonitor,voltageisanoutput!Basically,youwilltakethebatteriesout,andrunwiresfromthemotortoa
voltagemonitor(calledavoltmeteryourphysicsteachershouldhaveone).Thisway,whenthewindfrom
theDriveSectioncausesthesensor'sbladetospin,themotorwillproduceelectricity,whichwillbe
measuredbythevoltmeter.First,youneedtotakethebatteriesoutofthepersonalfan,andremoveall
parts,exceptforthebody,thefanblade,andthemotor.Next,youneedtosolderyourwiretothemotorin
ordertotransfervoltagetoavoltmeter.Yourphysicsteacher/mechanicallyinclinedhelpershouldknowhow
tosolder,andcandeterminethebestwaytowirethesensor.VisittheScienceBuddiesElectronicsPrimer:
HowtoSolderElectronicComponents (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencefairprojects/project_ideas/Elec_primersolder.shtml)
pageforhelpfulinstructions.
4. Nowthatyouhaveattachedwirestothemotor,putthepersonalfanbacktogetherandattachittotheinside
ofthefrontoftheDiffuser,asshowninFigure2K.Themotorwillcausesometurbulentdisturbance,butthis
isallowablenearlyeverysingleeducationalopencircuittunnelusesawindspeedmonitorthatblocks
airflow,sotheeffectonthiswindtunnel'saccuracyiseasilydismissed.
a. WhenviewingFigure2K,notethatthefanisofftotheside,butabouthalfwayfromthetopand
bottom.Makesurethatyourwindspeedmonitorisinthesameposition,andthatthereisspaceall
arounditforairtoflowdonotmountittotheinsideoftheDiffuser,becauseairwillnotproperlyflow
arounditanditsreadingswillbeinaccurate.

Figure2K.ThewindspeedmonitorismountedontheinsideoftheDiffuseratthefront,slightlytotheside.
Note:ThereisahandleontheDiffuser,whichwillbeattachedlateron.
5.

b. Makesurethatthefanisfirmlysecuredsothatitdoesnottiltitmustpointdirectlyintotheairflow.
c. YoualsoneedtodrillaverysmallholeintheDiffusernearthesensor,throughwhichthewireswillbe
run.Aswiththeholedrilledforthecontroltubeofthefan,thisholemustalsobesmallenoughtonot
letmuchairthrough.

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6. Finally,itistimetoattachthehandles.GiventhefactthattheDiffuserAssemblyisratherlargeandisheavy
onlyononeend,itisdifficulttomove,soyouneedsomehandlesforpersonalsafety.Twopeopleshould
alwaysmovetheDiffuserAssemblytogether,insteadoftryingtodoitbyyourself,becauseitcouldhurtyour
backandittakeslesstimetomovewithteamwork.Toattachthehandles,simplyscrewtwoofthedrawer
handlesintotheDiffuserateitherend,andmakesurethattheirscrewsdonotprotrudeintotheDiffuser.See
thefollowingfigureforavisualofthehandleattheDriveSectionendoftheDiffuser.Also,referbackto
Figure2KtonotethehandleattheTestSectionend.

Figure2L.DriveSectionhandle

BuildingtheContractionConeAssembly
Thisassemblywillbeattheforwardendofthetunnel,intowhichtheairwillflowasitisdrawninbythefanatthe
back.ThisassemblyconsistsoftheContractionConeandtheSettlingChamber.

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Figure3A.ThefullContractionConeAssembly.
Forthisassembly,youwillneedthefollowingparts:
2'x4'oakboards(all4)
Honeycombmesh
Aluminumscreening
Rubbergaskets(leftoverfromtheDiffuserassembly)
Woodenlattice
Woodencornerguard
Zipties
Staplegun
Woodglue
Screws,washers,lockwashers,bolts,etc.
Drawerhandles(2)
Scrapwood

PartA:ContractionCone
1. First,cutyourfourboardsintoequaltrapezoidalshapes.LiketheDiffuserAssembly,theContractionCone
Assemblyhasalargeendandasmallend.UnliketheDiffuserAssembly,however,theContractionCone
Assemblytakesalargevolumeofairandturnsitintoasmallvolume.Thearearatioofthefronttotheback
isbasedonaratiojustlikewiththeDiffuser,exceptthisratiois7:1ratherthan2:1.Thismeansthatthe
edgesonthelargeendoftheContractionConeAssemblyneedtobe32"long,because32"x32":12"x12"
isjustabout7:1.Younowhavethebasedimensionsforyourtrapezoidalcuts:32in.and12in.Theheight
shouldbe2ft.,soyourcarpentershouldjustmeasureouteachbaseonbothofthe4ft.edgesoftheboards,
andmakesurethattheyarecenteredwitheachother.SeeFigure3A(#Figure3A)foravisualofthewaythe
boardshouldbecut.
2. Next,connectthefourboardsinthesamewaythatyoudidwiththeDiffuser.Thiswillbetrickier,though,
becauseyoudon'thaveanythingliketheDriveSectiontoconnecttheboardsto.Instead,youwilljusthave
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toconnectthemtoeachother,onebyone,usingwoodglueandanailgun.Remember,aswithbothofthe
othercomponents,youneedtomakesurethattheyfittogetherwithminimalairflowinterruptionasitpasses
fromtheContractionConetotheTestSection.
a. Theuseofthenailguniswhytheboardsneedtoberelativelythick,becauseifyouhavethinboards,
thenailsarelikelytonotgostraightintothewoodandwillinsteadpokeoutintotheContractionCone,
disruptingairflow.
3. Onceyouhaveconnectedallfourboards,youshouldlettheContractionConedry.Itshouldlooklikethe
ContractionConeintheFigure3B.

Figure3B.ThisistheContractionConeAssembly.
4. Next,youneedtoreinforcetheContractionCone.Youhaveprobablynoticedthatitiswobblyandunstable,
justliketheTestSectionwasbeforeyoureinforceditwithbrackets.Forthis,youwillneedthewooden
cornerguard.CutitintofourequalpiecesandattacheachonetothecornersoftheContractionCone,using
woodglueandastaplegun.Youwillprobablynothaveenoughcornerwoodtocompletelycoverthecorners
oftheContractionCone,butifyoucutitintofourequallengthsandconnectthemtothecorners,youwill
greatlyreinforcetheContractionCone'sstructuralintegrity.Seethefollowingfiguresforvisuals.

Figure3C.ReinforcedContractionCone.

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Figure3D.Attachthewoodencornerguardusingwoodglue,aswellasstaplesfromthenailgun.

PartB:Base,SpringHooks,andGaskets
1. NowthattheContractionConeissturdy,youwillneedtoworkwithyourcarpenter/woodshopteacherto
makeaBaseforit,justaswiththeotherparts.Again,thiswilldependonwhatscrapwoodyouhave
available,andwhatotherwoodyoucanbuy.Makesurethatyourcarpenterkeepstrackofangles,justas
withtheDiffuserBase,inordertoallowtheContractionConetostandlevel.HerearevisualsofaBase
designexample.

Figure3E.SideviewoftheContractionConeBase.

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Figure3F.UndersideoftheContractionConeBase.
2. AswiththeDiffuser,theContractionConealsoneedstohaverubbergasketsattachedtoitsfrontendso
thatitcanformanairtightsealwiththeTestSection.ReferbacktoFigures2I(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science
fairprojects/windtunneltoc.shtml#diffuser)and2J (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencefairprojects/windtunneltoc.shtml#diffuser).

3. Also,theContractionConeneedstohaveconnectionscrewsjustlikeontheTestSectionandtheDiffuser.
TheyneedtobealignedwiththoseoftheTestSection,andshouldbemadefromthesameparts.

PartC:TheSettlingChamber
1. Finally,youneedtobuildtheSettlingChamber.Thisisactuallyasimplecomponentitisnothingmorethan
thehoneycombmeshandoneortwoscreensinthelargeendoftheContractionCone,whichcutturbulence
toaminimumandimproveairflowquality.Onescreenisacceptable,butitisbesttohavetwo.The
honeycombmeshshouldgoatthemouthofthelargeopening,andthescreen(s)shouldbeinsidethecone,
aboutaninchbehindthemesh.Ifyouusetwoscreens,thereshouldbe1in.betweenthem,sothatthereis
about1in.orsobetweenallthreepartsoftheSettlingChamber.TheScienceBuddieswindtunnelonlyhas
onescreen,butifyoucanusetwo,thatgivesyouevenmorecontroloverairflow.
2. Workwithyourcarpenter/woodshopteachertofigureoutthebestwaytoattachthehoneycombmeshand
screen(s)tothefrontoftheContractionCone.Youdon'twantthemtogotoodeepintotheContractionCone.
ReferbacktoFigure3A(#Figure3A)andtakeacloselookattheSettlingChamberintheContractionConeinthe
foreground,andnotethehoneycombmeshandthescreenbehinditbylookingcloselyatthefigure.The
ScienceBuddieswindtunnelusesziptiestoattachthehoneycombmeshtoaseriesofstaplesonthe
outsiderimoftheContractionCone,sotheinclusionofziptiesinthematerialslistisasuggestion.When
puttingthesetwocomponentsintheContractionCone,makesurethatyoukeepairflowinmind,andavoid
usinganyjuttingobjectsorroughsurfaces.
3. Finally,theContractionConeneedshandles,justliketheDiffuser.Attachthehandlesatthetopofthe
ContractionConeforeasytransport.ReferbacktoFigure3A(#Figure3A)foravisual.

PuttingItAllTogether
1. Nowthatyouhavebuiltthethreecomponentsofthewindtunnel,it'stimetoputittogetherandtestit!First,
youneedtogeteightsprings,asshowninthefollowingfigure:

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Figure4A.Thesespringswillholdthethreeassembliesofthewindtunneltogether.
2. Next,placethethreecomponentsendtoendsothattheylooklikethewindtunnelinFigureA
(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencefairprojects/windtunneltoc.shtml#introduction).Onebyone,connectthecomponentsby
theirconnectionscrews,usingthesprings,andmakingsurethatthegasketsareairtight,andthatthe1'x1'
squareareasallfitproperlytogethertoensuresmoothairflow.SeeFigure4Bforavisualofonesideofthe
connectedwindtunnel.

Figure4B.TheeightspringsareusedtoconnecttheDiffuserAssemblyandtheContractionConeAssemblytothe
TestSectionAssembly.
3. ThetunnelshouldnowbeconnectedandlooklikethattheoneinFigureA(http://www.sciencebuddies.org/sciencefair
projects/windtunneltoc.shtml#introduction).Now,allyouhavetodoissetitupinwhateverspaceyouhaveforit,attach

yourequipment,andyou'rereadytotest!Ifyouhavenotalreadydoneso,movethethreeassembliestothe
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placewhereyouwillkeepandusethewindtunnel,andreattachthemsothattheyformthefullwindtunnel.
4. RecallthatinSection1,PartB,youandyourcarpenter/physicsteacherdesignedaBasethatwouldholdthe
forcesensorsperpendicularsothattheywouldconnecttoasinglerodcomingdownfrominsidetheTest
Section.Nowthatthewindtunnelhasbeenbuilt,attachthosesensors.Thefollowingfigureisanexampleof
sensorsmountedtothebaseoftheTestSectionAssembly.Notetherodsandtheairfoilmountedinsidethe
TestSection,readytobetested.

Figure4C.Twoforcesensorsmountedtothewindtunnel.
Oneisforlift,oneisfordrag,andtheyareperpendicular.
Anairfoilismountedtothesensorrods.
Again,thefigurepresentsonlyanexample.Whileitissuggestedthatthreadedrodsbeusedtoconnecttheairfoilto
thesensors,itisuptoyouandyourphysicsteachertodecidethebestwaytoconnecttheparticularsensorsyou
havetoanymodelsyoumaymount.Youshouldalsotakeintoaccountthebestwaytomountmodelsontoyour
rodstheScienceBuddieswindtunnelusesmodelscarvedoutofbalsawood,intowhichthreadedcasingsmaybe
drilledsothattheycanbeeasilyscrewedontotherods.Finally,don'tforgetthatyoucanalsotestmodelswithan
angleofattack.FortheScienceBuddieswindtunnel,thethreadedrodcanbebentatapredeterminedangleand
theninsertedintotheTestSection.Dependingonyourideasfortestingangleofattack,itmaybebesttohave
multiplerodssothattheycanbereplacedwhenbent,insteadoftryingtobendthembackintotheiroriginalperfectly
straightshape.
5. Nowit'stimetoattachmonitoringequipmenttothewindspeedsensor(recallthatthisisthesmallhandheld
fanthatismountedintheDiffuser).Obtainavoltmeter,andattachthesensor'sfanstothevoltmetersothat
whenthesensor'sfanspins,itwillproduceavoltageinthewiresthatwillregisteronthevoltmeter.See
Figure4Dforanexampleofavoltmeter.

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Figure4D.Avoltmeterusedtodeterminethewindspeedinthetunnel.
Notethatthetwowiresfromthewindspeedsensorhavebeenattachedtothesensor.
Thesensormeasuresvoltage,whichisindirectlyameasureofwindspeed.Itdoesnotgiveavelocityreading,but
thevoltagereadingforeachspeedinyourwindtunnelwillbeconstant,soitisreliable.Forinstance,ifyouturnthe
fanonfullspeedandgetaparticularvoltagereading,suchas2.8V,andthenturnthefantothatsamespeedon
anotherday,thevoltmeterwillreadjustabout2.8Vagain.Duetothisconsistency,yourwindspeeddeterminations
willbebasedonrelativevoltagesfordifferentsettingsonyourwindtunnelfan.Youmayalsobeabletodetermine
therelationshipofvelocitytovoltage,anddevelopaconversionchartsothatyoucanlookupthevoltageyouread
anddeterminethewindspeedinsidethewindtunnel.Talktoyourphysicsteacheraboutthis.Itisnotnecessaryto
developsuchachart,butfiguringouthowtodoitwouldcertainlyaddtoyourunderstandingofaerodynamics!
6. ThelastpieceofequipmenttoattachisthevariableACadapter,whichallowsyoutocontroltheamountof
energythefanreceivesandthushaveavariablewindspeedtunnel.Obtainanadapter,plugitintoapower
outlet,andthenplugthewindtunnelfanintotheadapter.Figure4Eshowsanexampleofanadapter:

Figure4E.Thisdeviceallowsyoutocontrolhowmuchelectricitythefangets,controltheairflow.
7. Youhavenowattachedallofthenecessaryequipmenttothewindtunnel.Figure4Fshowsthesensorsof
thewindtunnel:liftforce,dragforce,andwindspeed.
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Figure4F.Allthreesensorsofthewindtunnel.

TestingtheWindTunnel
1. Itisfinallytimetotestthewindtunnel.Youneedtocollectsometestdatafromtheforcesensorsyouuse,
sodependingonwhattypetheyare,preparethemforthis.ThesensorsusedbytheScienceBuddieswind
tunnelaremadebyVernierScientificandarehookeduptoacomputerwithLoggerProinstalled(software
youcanpurchasefromtheVernierwebsiteatwww.vernier.com(http://www.vernier.com).Thissoftwarecollectsdata
fromtheliftanddragsensors.
a. AttachamodeltothesensorrodinsidetheTestSection(thiswillrequireyoutodisconnectthe
springsattheContractionConeandmoveitoutofthewaysoyoucanaccesstheinterioroftheTest
Section,andthenreconnecttheContractionCone).Beforeyoucancollectanydata,youneedto
calibratethesensors.Calibrationisaprocessbywhichyouuseknownforcevaluesanddefinethem
forthesensors,sothattheyfunctionasaccuratelyaspossible.Talktoyourphysicsteacherabout
calibration.Youmustcalibratethesensorseverytimeyoutestanewmodel,orturnonthe
equipmentotherwise,yourdataismeaningless.Checktheinstructionsforyoursensorstodetermine
howtoperformthecalibration.
b. Tocalibratetheliftsensor,simplydefinetheweightofthemodelontherodsas0pounds/Newtons,
andthenputaknownweightonthemodel(suchasa100gweight,whichexertsa.98Nforceonthe
model)anddefinetheforceexperiencedbythesensor,usingtheknownweight.Sincethisforce
pushesdownwardontheliftsensor,itiswisetodefineitasanegativenumber,suchas.98N.This
way,whenthemodellifts,orpullsuponthesensor,yourreadingswillbepositive.SeeFigure5Afor
avisualofusingknownweighttocalibratetheliftsensor.

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Figure5A.Aknownweightisplacedonthemodel.
Thisissothattheknownweightvaluewillallowtheusertoverifythesensorreadings.
Thisisknownascalibration.
2.

c. Calibratingtheforcesensorisdoneinthesameway,althoughyouwillneedtotakethesensoroffof
itsmountontheTestSectionBase.Setitupright,sothatitisliketheliftsensor,andcalibratethe
sensorbytellingitwhat0forceis(whennothingispushingorpullingonit),andthenuseaknown
weighttofinishthecalibration.Unliketheliftsensor,however,thisisadragsensor,whichmeansthat
theforceofdragwillbepushingintothesensor,soanyweightonitshouldbedefinedaspositive,not
negative.Onceyouhavecalibratedthissensor,remountitontheTestSectionBase.Havingproperly
calibratedyoursensors,youarenowreadytoperformyourtestandcollectdatafromthemodel.
3. Totestthewindtunnelandstartcollectingdata,makesurethat:
a. Thespringsareholdingthewindtunneltogether.
b. Thereisnoplaceforairtoescape.
c. Theequipmentisallpluggedin.
d. Theforcesensorsarecalibrated.
e. ThemodelisproperlymountedinsidetheTestSection.
Treattheseconditionsassomethingofachecklistbeforeyoutestamodeleverytime.SeeFigure5Bforthe
fullsetup.

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Figure5B.Theworkstationinthisfigureisfullypreparedtotest.
Thesensorsarecalibratedandreadytocollectdata.
ThemodelismountedintheTestSection.
3. Now,beforeyouturnonthefan,adjustthevariableACadaptertothedesiredlevel(foratest,youprobably
justwanttousethehighestsetting,sothatyouareessentiallyjustturningthefanonalltheway),andthen
fliptheDriveSectioncontrolswitchtothe"on"position.Letthefangettoitsrotationspeed,andthenbegin
collectingdata.Youwillcollecttwoseriesofsmalldatapoints,takenatregularintervalsoftimeoneseries
foreachforcesensor.Youwanttocollectdataonlyforashorttime,suchas10sec.orso,andthenstop
collecting.Producegraphsofallofthedatapointssothatyoucannotetrends,anduseacomputerto
performastatisticalanalysisofallofyourdatapoints,suchasaverageforce,standarddeviation,etc.Figure
5CisanexamplegraphofdatapointscollectedfromtheScienceBuddieswindtunnel,andthecaption
containsallofthepertinentinformationthatyouwillneedtorecordfromyourowntests.

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Figure5C.Thisisagraphofthedatapointstakenbythedragsensor.
DriveSectionfanat100%speed,windspeedvoltmeterreadingof2.8V.
Averageforceof+0.028N,standarddeviationof+/0.005.
4. Makesurethatthewindtunnelandthesensorsworkedproperlywhenyoutestedit.Makesurethatyourdata
makessense(forinstance,doyouhaveapositiveaveragedrag?Thiswouldmakenosensebecausethere
isnoforcepushingthemodelforward,onlyaforcepushingitbackastheairpassesoverit).Ifeverything
appearstobeinorder,thenyourwindtunnelisreadytobeusedinsciencefairprojectsanddemonstrations!
Remember,ifyouhaveanyquestions,comments,orconcerns,visitourSciBudWindTunnelQuestionsthreadin
theAskanExpertforum(http://www.stage.sciencebuddies.org/sciencefairprojects/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=46),setupjustforthisWind
TunnelHowtoGuide.

Bibliography
Anumberofothertextsandpeoplewereconsultedduringthecreationofthiswindtunnelconstructionguide.Those
textsandpeoplearelistedhere.

Printresources:
Barlow,JewelB.,AlanPope,andWilliamH.Rae,Jr.LowSpeedWindTunnelTesting.3rded.NewYork:
JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,1999.
Collins,Luke,JamesFlint,BenMorgan,ClintWitchalls,andChrisWoodford.CoolStuffandHowItWorks.
1sted.NewYork:DKPublishing,Inc.,2005.
Mehta,R.D.,P.Bradshaw."DesignRulesforSmallLowSpeedWindTunnels."AeronauticalJournal(1979):
443449.
Smith,H.C."Skip."TheIllustratedGuidetoAerodynamics.2nd.NewYork:TABBooks,1992.

Webbasedresources:

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Baals,D.(n.d.).WindTunnelsofNASA.RetrievedAugust2008,from
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP440/contents.htm(http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP
440/contents.htm)

Benson,T.(2008,July14).Beginner'sGuidetoWindTunnels.RetrievedFebruary26,20014,from
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K12/airplane/bgt.html(http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K12/airplane/bgt.html)
Bradshaw,PandMehta,R.(n.d.).WindTunnelDesign.RetrievedAugust2008,fromhttp://www
htgl.stanford.edu/bradshaw/tunnel/index.html(http://wwwhtgl.stanford.edu/bradshaw/tunnel/index.html)
Bugg,R.,Cyron,R.,Houser,M.,Oberlitner,S.,andSaracen,J.(n.d.)MiniaturePortableSubsonicWind
TunnelforAerodynamicandHeatTransferMeasurementsDesignedforClassroomDemonstrationPurposes.
RetrievedAugust2008,from
http://web.archive.org/web/20070404141346/http://www.mne.psu.edu/me415/spring05/ME2/
(http://web.archive.org/web/20070404141346/http://www.mne.psu.edu/me415/spring05/ME2/)

Cleghorn,C.(2004,February).NASA'sWindTunnelsFactSheet.RetrievedFebruary26,2014,from
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/WindTunnel.html
(http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/WindTunnel.html)

Clifford,R.C.(2003,June).HomeMadeWindTunnel.RetrievedJuly2008,from
http://www.theplanpage.com/months/2306/tunnel.htm(http://www.theplanpage.com/months/2306/tunnel.htm)
Clifford,R.C.(2003,July).HomeMadeWindTunnel,Part2.RetrievedJuly2008,from
http://www.theplanpage.com/Months/2307/wt_pt2.htm(http://www.theplanpage.com/Months/2307/wt_pt2.htm)
Erwin,B.(n.d.).TheBaalsWindTunnel.RetrievedAugust2008,from
http://web.archive.org/web/20020202113520/http://ldaps.ivv.nasa.gov/Curriculum/tunnel.html
(http://web.archive.org/web/20020202113520/http://ldaps.ivv.nasa.gov/Curriculum/tunnel.html)

G.U.N.T.GertebauGmbH.(2005).EducationalWindTunnel.RetrievedAugust2008,from
http://www.gunt.de/static/s3399_1.php(http://www.gunt.de/static/s3399_1.php)
Hodanbosi,C.(n.d.).Abstract:TheWanderingWindTunnel.RetrievedAugust2008,from
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K12/WindTunnel/wandering_windtunnel.htm(http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K
12/WindTunnel/wandering_windtunnel.htm)

U.C.DavisCollegeofEngineering.(n.d.).U.C.DavisAeronauticalWindTunnelFacility.RetrievedAugust
2008,fromhttp://windtunnel.engr.ucdavis.edu/(http://windtunnel.engr.ucdavis.edu/)
WrightBrothersAeroplaneCo.(n.d.).1901WindTunnel.RetrievedAugust2008,fromhttp://www.firstto
fly.com/Adventure/Workshop/1901_wind_tunnel.htm(http://www.firsttofly.com/Adventure/Workshop/1901_wind_tunnel.htm)
TheWrightExperience.(2002).InDepth:TheWindTunnel.RetrievedFebruary26,2014,from
http://www.centennialofflight.net/wbh/wr_experience/tunnel/index.htm
(http://www.centennialofflight.net/wbh/wr_experience/tunnel/index.htm)

Consultants:
Adkins,Jeff.AstronomyandPhysicsteacher,DirectoroftheESPACEAcademy.DeerValleyHighSchool,
AntiochCA.Designandmechanicsconsultant,donatorofsensoryequipment.
Dumin,Ed.Technologyteacher.DeerValleyHighSchool,AntiochCA.Generalconsultant.
Soraoka,Daniel.Aeronautical/MechanicalEngineeringstudentatEmbryRiddleUniversity,PrescottAZ.
Designconsultant.
Spahn,Jordan.Foreman,IndustrialElectrician.CupertinoElectric,SanJoseCA.Materialsandconstruction
consultant.
VanDam,C.P."Case."ProfessorofAerodynamicsatU.C.Davis,DirectoroftheU.C.DavisAeronautical
WindTunnelFacility.DavisCA.Designconsultantandconceptualeditor.

Credits
JustinSpahn,ScienceBuddiesIntern
RebeccaSteelman,Editor
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PlexiglasisaregisteredtrademarkofRohmandHaasCo.

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