Wind tunnels are among the most important tools in aeronautical research. Engineers use them to design more fuel efficient and aerodynamic cars, trucks and planes. They are used to investigate how air flows around skyscrapers in scale model cities and used to do environmental impact studies of industrial installations. Athletes have benefited too, including bicycle racers and skiers, by perfecting equipment and technique.

Wind tunnels come in all shapes and sizes and are of two basic types. The first, called an open-circuit tunnel, has no guided return for the air stream. The wind tunnel used in this project is of this type. The second type, called a closed-circuit tunnel, has a continuous path for the air. Tunnels with air speeds exceeding 400 mph are called “high speed” tunnels while and those that exceed the velocity of sound are called “supersonic.”

A wind tunnel consists of an enclosed portion through which air is driven by a fan or any appropriate drive system. The test section, where a scale model is supported in a controlled air stream, produces an air flow around the model, duplicating that of the full-scale model. Test instrumentation measure the aerodynamic forces and moments acting on the model. The three basic forces are lift, drag and side force as measured in an axis system referenced to the direction of movement of the model. The drag force is along (but reversed to) the flight path. The lift and side forces are at are right angles to it.

McCook Field Wind Tunnel US Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton, Ohio

Arnold Engineering Development Center  The U.S. Air Force.

NASA

Arizona State University Wind Tunnel Complex

UC Davis Wind Tunnel Laboratory Boundary Layer / Environmental Wind Tunnel Laboratory

University of California Irvine Wind Tunnel

Ebry-Riddle University Wind Tunnel Lab

University of Maryland - Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel

The Glenn L. Martin Museum - Middle River, MD

Kansas State University Wind Tunnel Studies Wind Erosion Research Unit

The University of Montana Flight Laboratory

National Aerospace Simulation  The Virtual Wind Tunnel and National Aerospace Simulation

The Ohio State University AARLAeronautical & Astronautical Research Laboratory

Old Dominion University Langley Full-Scale Wind Tunnel

Princeton University Gas Dynamics Lab Facilities

Penn State University Subsonic Wind Tunnel/Fluid Flow Lab

Perdue University Supersonic Wind Tunnel

University of Washington Aerodynamics Lab

University of Wisconsin Wind Tunnel Project

ACT, Inc.'s Wind Tunnel Pictures  Applied Composite Technology, Inc.

Atmospheric Diffusion Laboratory  The National Institute for Environmental Studies

Boeing Technology Services  Acoustics - Low Speed Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel

Boeing: X40A Wind Tunnel

Gevers Wind Tunnels  Tests aerodynamics for aircraft, RC models, cars, motorcycles

Hanley Innovations Interactive software package

HSBA Superstructure design  Wind-resistant design standards for suspension bridges

NLR Research Facilities  The German-Dutch Wind Tunnel organization, DNW

FLYAWAY A vertical wind tunnel that simulates the freefall experience of skydiving

The Vertical Wind Tunnel Home Page

University of Washington Speed Ski Wind Tunnel Tests