Atmospheric Wind Tunnel

The atmospheric wind tunnel at Hessert Center can be described as an open circuit type, having a length of 67 feet (20.42 m). The test section has a 5 feet by 5 feet (1.52 m x 1.52 m) cross-section and is 45 feet (13.7 m) long. The tunnel has several features which make it unique compared to other atmospheric tunnels. The majority of existing facilities extract the turbulent fluctuating energy from the mean flow by using the roughness elements at the wall as obstacles in the mean flow. In Notre Dame's tunnel, arrays of symmetrical side jets in the turbulence box located ahead of the test section are used; thus, the turbulent fluctuating energy is not exclusively extracted from the mean flow. Turbulence intensities from 20-25% with length scales from 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13cm) can be obtained with this side jet system. Another important feature is that the strength, as well as the distribution of the jets, can be controlled. This tunnel has been used to produce a simulated atmospheric surface layer with the proper characteristics. The tunnel can also be operated as a conventional low speed/low turbulence, 1% or less tunnel with a maximum speed to 50 feet/second (15.25 m/s). Current research includes studies of the turbulence effects on the aeroelastic stability of long, suspended-span bridges.

Direct comments, questions, and corrections to amedept@nd.edu