Introduction To Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Low Speed Wind Tunnel (UTM-LST)

UTM LOW SPEED WIND TUNNEL November, 2008
LOW SPEED WIND TUNNEL

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA
Prepared by
Assoc Prof Ir Dr Shuhaimi Mansor
Head of Aeronautical Engineering Laboratory
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
1. Introduction to UTM Wind Tunnel Facility 2

2.1 Test Section 2
2.2 Fan Motor and Drive System 3
2.3 Settling Chamber 4
2. Facility Arrangement 4
3. Balance and Model Support System 5
4. Surface Pressure Measurement 7
5. Flow Visualization 8
6. Facility Control System 8
APPENDIX 9-13
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1. Introduction to UTM Wind Tunnel Facility

The UTM low speed wind tunnel is commissioned in 2001 and has served for more than 7 years. Our
clients include researchers from universities and designers from industries such as USM, UTeM,
UPM, MINDEF, MODENAS, PROTON and others. UTM wind tunnel has capability to provide wide
range of testing include aircraft, ground surface vehicle and industrial aerodynamics such as
building, bridges, street-lantern light and wind turbine.
General Arrangement of the wind tunnel is shown in Figure 1. There are three important
components in the wind tunnel which is known as test section, fan-motor and settling chamber.
Fan Diffuser
Cross leg 2
Fan & Motor
Settling Chamber
.Honeycomb Test Section
.Heat Excahnger
.Screens Cross-leg 1
Figure 1. Wind tunnel components
1.2 Test Section
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Low Speed Wind Tunnel (UTM-LST) is capable of delivering
maximum airspeed of 80 m/s (160 knots or 288 km/hr) inside the test section. The test section
size is 2.0 m wide x 1.5 m height x 5.5 m length. The wind tunnel has an excellent flow quality
(flow uniformity < 0.15%, temperature uniformity < 0.2o, flow angularity uniformity < 0.15o,
turbulence < 0.06%). With good flow quality and facility, UTM-LST is confident to deliver high
accuracy and good repeatability of wind tunnel test results.
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Figure 2. Aircraft model is installed in the test section and attached to a 6-components
balance/load-cell to measure aerodynamic forces and moment in 3-dimensional loads.
2.1 Fan Motor and Drive System
UTM wind tunnel is propelled by 430 kW ac Motor from ABB with Allen Bradley drive system.
The measured power consumption of the motor with test section wind speed is shown in Figure
3.
Figure 3. Fan-motor and power consumption with wind speed.
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2.2 Settling Chamber
Settling chamber is an area where the flow is control using honeycomb and three screens.
Honeycomb is used to straighten the flow while the screens are used to reduce the turbulence
intensity. Heat exchanger is used to reject heat generates from air friction and maintain the test
section temperature at normal condition. Figure 4 shows the effect of heat exchanger on test
section temperature.
o o
Cooling System Test at 70 m/s, set temp=27.8 C, ambient=27.0 C
40
38
36 Cooling OFF
o
0.29 C/minutes
Temperature ( C)
o
34
32
Cooling ON
o
0.06 C/minutes
30
28
26
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Time (minutes)
Figure 4. Heat exchanger to maintain test section air temperature.
Figure 5. Honeycomb is used to straighten the flow and screen is used to reduce the
turbulence intensity.
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3. Facility Arrangement
The wind tunnel is housing inside the Aeronautical Engineering Laboratory building. The wind tunnel
is furnished with compress air facility for general purpose applications. The test section is connected
to wind tunnel control room via metal structure platform.
Figure 6. Wind tunnel arrangement and control room
4. Balance and Model Support System

The wind tunnel is equipped with a 6-component balance for load measurements. The balance is a
pyramidal type with virtual balance moment at the centre of the test section. The balance has a
capability to measure aerodynamic forces and moment in 3-dimensional. The aerodynamic loads
can be tested at various wind direction by rotating the model via turntable. The accuracy of the
balance is within 0.04% based on 1 standard deviation. The maximum load range is ±1200N for axial
and side loads (i.e. drag force and side force).
The wind tunnel is originally furnished with 3-strut support system as shown in Figure 7. This type of
model support system is commonly used in most well known wind tunnels (e.g. DNW Holland, NLR
German, IAR-NRC Canada and ILST Indonesia).
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Figure 7. Wind tunnel Balance and Model Support System
Various model support systems had been designed to accommodate various types of model tests
requirements. It ranges from a simple single strut to 4-strut support system. Figure 8 to 11 shows
some of the examples of model support systems in UTM wind tunnel.
Figure 8. Assembly of bridge model on 3-struts support
Figure 9. Assembly of street lantern light using single-strut support
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Figure 10. Assembly of helicopter model using 2-strut support
Figure 11. Assembly of Proton Savvy model on 4-strut support
5. Surface Pressure Measurement

Surface pressure measurement is using electronic pressure scanner 128 port scanivalve system.
Figure 12. Surface pressure measurement of the roof
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6. Flow Visualization
Flow visualization is a qualitative technique to visualise the flow pattern on the surface of the
model. Smoke is commonly use for flow visualization.
Figure 13. Flow visualization using smoke and oil
7. Facility Control System
Fully integrated automatic Control, Data Acquisition and Reduction System (DARS)
Figure 14. Facility control with automatic control, data acquisition system
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Contact Person
Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Shuhaimi B Mansor
Head of Aeronautics Laboratory
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
81310 Skudai, JOHOR
Tel: 07 5535845, Fax: 07 5535997, Mobile: 019 7799778,

Email: [email protected]
APPENDIX
TEST CAPABILITIES
• Aircraft
• Surface Vehicle
• Wind Engineering
• Offshore structures
• Internal flow
• Aircraft model
• Building models
• Automotive model

Low Speed Wind Tunnel
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UTM-LST Flow Quality

Parameters Measured value
Velocity Spatial Uniformity 0.13 %
Temperature spatial uniformity 0.16 °C
Flow Angularity, pitch 0.13o
Flow Angularity, Yaw 0.13 °
Axial Wind Speed Gradient 0.0003°/m
Flow Angle Gradient, pitch 0.003°/m
Flow Angle Gradient, Yaw 0.070°/m
Velocity Temporal Uniformity 0.046 %
Temperature Temporal Unifermity 0.08 °C
Axial Turbulence Intensity, Urms/U, 0.037 %

5 Hz <f<10kHz

Pressure Measurement
• Capability 128 pressure

ports
• 2 x 64-port Electronic
Pressure Scanner
(Scanivalve DMS 3000
ZOC Series)
• Pressure rating
1 psid, 5 psid FS
• +/- 0.08 FS accuracy

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Airflow Test Equipment
• Hotwire Anemometry System

(Dantec Dynamics)
• Smoke Generator
• Laser Sheet System
• 5-hole Probe, 7-Hole Probe
• Wake Rake

Balance Load Range

Type of Balance
Load Component and
Accuracy
External Semi-Span Internal
Axial Force, Fx (N) ± 1200 ± 900 ± 182
Side Force, Fy(N) ± 1200 ± 900 ± 356
Normal Force, Fz (N) ± 4500 ± 4500 ± 445
Roll Moment, Mx (Nm) ± 450 ± 1362 ±7
Pitch Moment, My (Nm) ± 450 ± 250 ± 62
Yaw Moment, Mz (Nm) ± 450 ± 450 ± 50
Primary Accuracy, % (based 0.04 0.04 < 0 .10

on ± 1 standard deviation)

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Training Providers
• Indonesia Low Speed Wind Tunnel, ILST-LAGG
(Indonesia)
• Aiolos Engineering Corporation (Canada)
• Institute of Aerospace Research, IAR-NRC (Canada)
• Carleton University (Canada)
• University of Western Ontario UWO-BLWT (Canada)
• Aerodynamic Model and Research Inc. AMR (Canada)

Cooperation & Networking

• 4 m x 3 m Low Speed Wind Tunnel Facility
(Indonesia)
• Technical assistance (planning, technical requirements)
• Training
• Joint Research Program
• Testing Services
• Institute of Aerospace Research, IAR-NRC

(Canada)
• Training
• Post-Commissioning/Expert Services
• Joint Research Program
• Testing Services

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Cooperation & Networking

Subsonic Aerodynamics Testing Association (SATA)
• world-wide organization for operators of low speed aerodynamic testing

facilities (since 1965)
• Membership from all major wind tunnel facilities

DNW, Boeing, NASA, GM, Ford, IAR-NRC etc.
• provide at the operational level a means of interchange of ideas,

techniques, and solutions. General area of interest:
• Design, performance, and economics of test facilities.

• Physical measurement, instrumentation, and handling and
reduction of data
• Facility operation and maintenance
• UTM to be a member 2001/02

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What are the main components of the UTM low speed wind tunnel?

What are the main components of the UTM low speed wind tunnel?

What are the specifications of the test section?

What are the specifications of the test section?

UTM LOW SPEED WIND TUNNEL November, 2008

LOW SPEED WIND TUNNEL

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

1. Introduction to UTM Wind Tunnel Facility 2

3. Balance and Model Support System 5

4. Surface Pressure Measurement 7

6. Facility Control System 8

1. Introduction to UTM Wind Tunnel Facility

Figure 1. Wind tunnel components

1.2 Test Section

2.1 Fan Motor and Drive System

Figure 3. Fan-motor and power consumption with wind speed.

2.2 Settling Chamber

Figure 4. Heat exchanger to maintain test section air temperature.

Figure 6. Wind tunnel arrangement and control room

4. Balance and Model Support System

Figure 7. Wind tunnel Balance and Model Support System

Figure 8. Assembly of bridge model on 3-struts support

Figure 9. Assembly of street lantern light using single-strut support

Figure 10. Assembly of helicopter model using 2-strut support

Figure 11. Assembly of Proton Savvy model on 4-strut support

5. Surface Pressure Measurement

Figure 12. Surface pressure measurement of the roof

Figure 13. Flow visualization using smoke and oil

7. Facility Control System

Tel: 07 5535845, Fax: 07 5535997, Mobile: 019 7799778,

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

UTM-LST Flow Quality

Velocity Spatial Uniformity 0.13 %

Temperature spatial uniformity 0.16 °C

Flow Angularity, pitch 0.13o

Flow Angularity, Yaw 0.13 °

Axial Wind Speed Gradient 0.0003°/m

Flow Angle Gradient, pitch 0.003°/m

Flow Angle Gradient, Yaw 0.070°/m

Velocity Temporal Uniformity 0.046 %

Temperature Temporal Unifermity 0.08 °C

Axial Turbulence Intensity, Urms/U, 0.037 %

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

• Capability 128 pressure

• +/- 0.08 FS accuracy

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Airflow Test Equipment

• Hotwire Anemometry System

• Laser Sheet System

• 5-hole Probe, 7-Hole Probe

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Balance Load Range

Axial Force, Fx (N) ± 1200 ± 900 ± 182

Side Force, Fy(N) ± 1200 ± 900 ± 356

Normal Force, Fz (N) ± 4500 ± 4500 ± 445

Roll Moment, Mx (Nm) ± 450 ± 1362 ±7

Pitch Moment, My (Nm) ± 450 ± 250 ± 62

Yaw Moment, Mz (Nm) ± 450 ± 450 ± 50