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Research and Understanding
A wind tunnel mimics the conditions of flight on an object. From this, scientists have been able to determine how aircraft, vehicles, and spacecraft move through space. According to publications by NASA, wind tunnels played a crucial role in the research and design of rockets, satellites, space shuttles and fighter planes throughout the Cold War.
Physics of a Wind Tunnel
The physics found in a wind tunnel are controlled by a central computer. Researchers can control the environment in a wind tunnel, including variables such as temperature, air pressure, humidity, air speed and air density. Wind tunnels are usually located in isolated spaces of research buildings. That way, outside air and objects do not influence how the machine mimics different environments.
Testing Objects
The object placed within a wind tunnel is usually a vehicle or air craft of some kind. The object is mounted so it does not move within the wind tunnel. Sensors are placed across the object to identify how the air moves across it. Any noticeable movements of the object, while it is mounted, shows that the wind power is strong enough against the object. Sensor readings are studied afterwards to see how air curves through the object. Any hard resistance against a wing or part of the object usually indicates that the vehicle would face resistance in flight.
Types of Wind Tunnels
Certain wind tunnels try to test specific environmental conditions. Subsonic wind tunnels create wind speeds that are slower than the speed of sound. In the middle, transonic wind tunnels create wind speeds slightly above the speed of sound. Supersonic and hypersonic tunnels create wind speeds respectively higher than the speed of sound. The speed of sound is measured by a Mach, which is a ratio between the object's speed against the speed of the wind. In reference to the types of wind tunnels, the speed of sound is Mach 1.