Wind Shear's Full Scale, Rolling Road, Automotive Wind Tunnel
Encyclopedia
In January 2008 Wind Shear, a division of US machine tool builder Haas Automation
, completed construction on one of the most advanced automotive wind tunnel
s in the world. The full scale tunnel is located adjacent to Concord Regional Airport
in Concord, North Carolina
. The commercial operation was designed for vehicles from race industries: stock car, formula one
, indy car
, drag racing
, as well as production car industries.
Wind Shear's tunnel is a closed air circuit, temperature controlled system built around a rolling road. The rolling road, akin to a giant treadmill, is 3 meters wide by 9 meters long and accommodates full size cars. Air and rolling road speeds are coordinated up to 180 mph (290 km/h). Air temperature, critical to repeatable data collection, is maintained at a constant 75 °F (23.9 °C)), plus or minus one degree. Air is moved through the massive 15,000 square foot (1394 square meter) air circuit at the maximum rate of 2.85 million cubic feet (80,700 cubic meters) per minute by a 5100 hp motor and 29 carbon fiber blades 22 feet (6.7 m) in diameter.
In the wind tunnel
industry, size is everything. The blockage effect is the condition where air flow in the wind tunnel
is partially blocked by the vehicle. The blockage becomes more critical as the cross section of the test vehicle increases relative to the size of nozzle and airstream. As the vehicle increases in size relative to the nozzle, test data become less reliable as increased blockage effects the quality of the actual windstream.http://www.scs-europe.net/services/ess2002/PDF/manuf-3.pdf Windshear's solution was to build a sufficiently large air circuit. Nozzle size is a relatively large 180 square feet (16.7 square meters).
Haas Automation
Founded in 1983 by Gene Haas, Haas Automation is a CNC machine tool manufacturer based in Oxnard, California. Haas Automation manufactures CNC vertical and horizontal machining centers, CNC lathes, rotary tables and 5C indexers. Sales outlets, referred to as Haas Factory Outlets are located all...
, completed construction on one of the most advanced automotive wind tunnel
Wind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
s in the world. The full scale tunnel is located adjacent to Concord Regional Airport
Concord Regional Airport
Concord Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located seven nautical miles west of the central business district of Concord, a city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States...
in Concord, North Carolina
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
. The commercial operation was designed for vehicles from race industries: stock car, formula one
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, indy car
American Championship Car Racing
Since 1916 there has been a recognized United States national automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level, single-seat open wheel race cars. The championship has been under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1909. Since 1911, the Indianapolis...
, drag racing
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
, as well as production car industries.
Wind Shear's tunnel is a closed air circuit, temperature controlled system built around a rolling road. The rolling road, akin to a giant treadmill, is 3 meters wide by 9 meters long and accommodates full size cars. Air and rolling road speeds are coordinated up to 180 mph (290 km/h). Air temperature, critical to repeatable data collection, is maintained at a constant 75 °F (23.9 °C)), plus or minus one degree. Air is moved through the massive 15,000 square foot (1394 square meter) air circuit at the maximum rate of 2.85 million cubic feet (80,700 cubic meters) per minute by a 5100 hp motor and 29 carbon fiber blades 22 feet (6.7 m) in diameter.
In the wind tunnel
Wind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
industry, size is everything. The blockage effect is the condition where air flow in the wind tunnel
Wind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
is partially blocked by the vehicle. The blockage becomes more critical as the cross section of the test vehicle increases relative to the size of nozzle and airstream. As the vehicle increases in size relative to the nozzle, test data become less reliable as increased blockage effects the quality of the actual windstream.http://www.scs-europe.net/services/ess2002/PDF/manuf-3.pdf Windshear's solution was to build a sufficiently large air circuit. Nozzle size is a relatively large 180 square feet (16.7 square meters).