Wind Tunnels 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 even 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. 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.