Design, Construction and Testing of a 3-Component Force Balance for Educational Wind Tunnels in Undergraduate Aerodynamics

Author(s)

Milan Tomin, Queens University of CharlotteFollow
Marco Scipioni, Queens University of CharlotteFollow
Benjamin Gatti, Queens University of CharlotteFollow

Volume

29

Issue

1

Key words

force balance, wind tunnel, education, undergraduate, aerodynamics, lift, drag, pitching moment

Abstract

This article is focused on providing detailed instructions on how to build and use a force balance for educational wind tunnels. The article’s objective is to encourage undergraduate students in underfunded programs to engage in the field of aerodynamics. The discussed force balance represents an affordable device that only requires basic components like Arduino board, a servo motor, and acrylic and aluminum as construction materials. A simple data collection example is included at the end of the article showing that this simple force balance can collect meaningful data about lift, drag, and moment coefficient of a tested airfoil.

First Page

89

Last Page

105

Scholarly Commons Citation

Tomin, M., Scipioni, M., & Gatti, B. (2020). Design, Construction and Testing of a 3-Component Force Balance for Educational Wind Tunnels in Undergraduate Aerodynamics. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, 29(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.15394/jaaer.2020.1809