This project is to add a 20" x 28" throat, open cycle wind tunnel and sting balance to the mechanical and civil engineering laboratory. The new tunnel will support a variety of experiments in convective heat transfer that are not supportable with the existing closed cycle tunnel. In addition, the increased size and speed will provide access to high Reynolds number regimes where the characteristic differences between laminar and turbulent boundary layers can be elucidated. Besides strengthening the existing laboratory course, the department plans to introduce a new course in the area of applied fluid dynamics which will be supported by the new machine.
