Experimental Investigation of the Flow, Noise, and Vibration Effect on the Construction and Design of Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Structure

Abstract

A wind tunnel is needed for a lot of research and model testing in the field of engineering design. Commercial wind tunnels are large and expensive, making them unsuitable for small-scale aerodynamic model testing. This work aims to experimentally investigate the effects of flow, noise, and vibration on constructing and designing a low-speed wind tunnel structure. The flow uniformity in the wind tunnel has been tested by measuring the velocity profiles inside the empty test section with a pitot-static tube at various fan frequencies. The experiment results showed a good flow uniformity of more than 90% across the test section area, and the maximum wind velocity achieved was about 25.1 m/s. Due to the stability of the flow near the exit test section, the vibration measurement revealed that the entrance portion has larger vibration fluctuations than the exit part. Furthermore, as the axial fan frequency increases, the noise level increases. At 40 Hz, the noise level enters the hazardous zone, which has an impact on the person who performs the measurement process. The resonance of the wind tunnel structure is an important measurement test that affects vibration measurement.