Aerodynamics Facility

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The AAR's 5500 square foot aerodynamics facility houses one of the only Wind Tunnels on the West Coast and one of the only water tow tanks of its kind anywhere.

The Wind Tunnel was first designed and supplied by the AIOLOS Engineering Corporation in 1993 and has since undergone many modifications starting in 2000 including an upgrade to the data acquisition system, the boundary suction device, and the model positioning pitch mechanism.

It features a 4.5 ft. x 9 ft. long moving ground plane, a 3 ft x 5 ft. test section area, a 30% open slotted wall, and a 100 mph maximum air speed capacity. The Water Tunnel or Tow Tank is 50 feet long and features a tow mechanism with a high speed digital camera able to record flow characteristics through different color dye emissions from underneath and around the model as it travels through the tank.

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Wind Tunnel
Originally built by the AIOLOS Engineering Corporation

30% open slotted wall test section open return tunnel w/ contraction ratio: 4.1 to 1

Test section: 35 inch high x 60 inch wide x 123 inch long

Nozzle’s cross sectional area: 35 inch high x 60 inch wide

Re-Entry flaps: Adjustable

Fan power: 74.6 kW (100 Hp)

Maximum air speed: 108 mph (48.2 m/s)

Air speed accuracy: +/- 0.06%

Air speed uniformity: +/- 0.13%

Turbulence level: 0.30%

Boundary layer profile: 0.999 average velocity ratio over the first inch above the belt

Rolling road

Maximum belt speed: 105 mph

Working area: 54 inch wide x 108-inch.

Pacific Instruments Model 6000 Data Acquisition & Control System

One 8-channel Thermocouple /IES Amplifier

Two 8 channel Strain gauge transducer Digitizer

One 16 Digital input and 16 Digital output

Main balance: Micro Craft, MC-5.0-6.0-A Six component internal balance

Sub-Balance: Advanced Mechanical Technology, Inc. MC3A-250 Six component internal balance

Water Tunnel / Tow Tank

2 ft. high x 3 ft. wide x 50 ft. long Clear Acrylic Rectangular Basin

Model and Camera tractor speed @ 1 to 5 feet per second

BALDOR 10 HP Vector Motor and 10 HP 460 VAC Drive Controller

High Speed Digital Camera system, Model o2s NAC Inc.

Frame Rate: 200, 300 and 400 pps

Shutter Speed: Off, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/5000 and 1/10000 sec.

Lens: Fujinon-TV-Z, Fiji Photo Optical Co.

Flow Visualization through Dye Emission