Subsonic Wind Tunnel Facility

The Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion (FCAAP) at the Florida State University is home to the low speed wind tunnel which allows for high-fidelity aerodynamic testing. The facility is a single pass, Eiffel styled, wind tunnel which is driven by a 200 hp suck-down fan, which minimizes noise through the test section. The facility incorporates a 30" wide x 30" high x 60" long test section and allows for testing at a range of speeds from 2 - 80 m/s (5 - 180 mph). The upstream flow conditioning devices allow for tests to be ran with minimal flow angularity and turbulence intensities less than 0.5%. The test section is easily reconfigurable, allowing it to be used for a wide variety of test requirements. The wind tunnel is equipped with a 3-axis motorized traverse for acquiring traditional 'probe-type' measurements including hot wire anemometry and pressure probes. The motorized traverse is also used as a camera and laser support, allowing for detailed flow field measurements using non-intrusive measurements such as Particle Image and Laser Doppler Velocimetry. The wind tunnel maximizes optical access of the test section allowing the development of cutting-edge optical diagnostics.

Operational/Test Capabilities

• Freestream velocity = 2 - 80 m/s (5 - 180 mph)
• Turbulence Intensity = <0.5%
• Run duration = Infinite
• Test Section Size: 30″ x 30″ x 60″

Diagnostics and Test Hardware

• LabVIEW based facility operation and data acquisition programs
• Planar (2D), Stereoscopic (3D), and Tomographic (3D) Particle Image Velocimetry
• Pulsed ND-YAG laser and High resolution CCD cameras
• High-speed Pulsed ND-YAG laser (10kHz)
• Hotwire Anemometry and Pitot-Static probes
• High frequency unsteady pressure sensors
• Signal conditioning systems including amplifiers, low and high pass filters
• High speed simultaneously sampling data acquisition cards
• Computer controlled 3-axis traverse system
• Skin friction and oil flow visualizations
• Smoke visualization
• Force measurements using 6-component strain gauge balances

Research and Development Activities

• Flow separation studies
  • Control of flow over turbine blades
  • Automotive bluff bodies in ground proximity
  • Bio-inspired separation flow control using riblets
• Active control to eliminate/reduce flow separation using high momentum microjets
  • Development of optimal control strategies
  • Active-adaptive control strategies
• Transition flow control and optimal disturbance studies
• Vortex asymmetries on cones as high angles of attack
• Use of 'smart' materials for mitigation of streamwise vortices from 3D wing tips

Supervisor: Dr. Rajan Kumar, rkumar@eng.famu.fsu.edu