SUBSONIC WIND TUNNEL

To cure the boredom I had during quarantine, I decided to build a wind tunnel with whatever parts I had in my basement. There is a 120mm PC fan on the end which blows air out creating a vacuum behind it to suck air in. The entryway of the tunnel is met with a nozzle piece which inserts the smoke/fog into the air stream, and then a wall of straws which straighten the airstream, achieving laminar flow. The wind tunnel was built with scrap plywood, glass from a broken photo frame, and of course, 3D printed parts.

Components from left to right: Smoke nozzle, Fan mount, Fan exhaust, Centerpiece

The smoke nozzle inserts the smoke/fog

The Fan mount mounts the fan to the wind tunnel

The Fan exhaust collects the smoke to recirculate back into the nozzle

The Centerpiece (lack of better name) is where the aerofoils are mounted. It is graduated to allow for ease of changing angles of attack.