A Proposal for a Low Cost Wind Tunnel for Small Fuel Scall Road Vehicle Tests 942420

The requirements for higher performance, low fuel consumption, improved handling and safety for cars, trucks and busses have greatly increased the importance of aerodynamics in the design of road vehicles, specially after the 70's energy crisis. The most effective tool for the practical investigation of aerodynamic performance is the wind tunnel. Since there is no adequate facility for this purpose in Brazil, this work is a proposal for a wind tunnel which would meet the needs for an aerodynamic test facility. The key word for this proposal is low cost construction and operation. Therefore, a open-circuit wind tunnel lay-out was chosen with a jet area of 20m², suitable for small full scale passenger cars and large commercial vehicles model tests. Measuring equipment will include a six component balance, pressure distribution measurement equipment, full time flow visualization techniques, boundary layer control and a moving ground for scale models.