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

Published 2020-01-01 From Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 3 authors

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Attribution

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Abstract

Verbatim from Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons. Not paraphrased, not summarized.

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.

Authors

Tomin, Milan Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Scipioni, Marco Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Gatti, Benjamin Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Keywords

force balance
wind tunnel
education
undergraduate
aerodynamics
lift
drag
pitching moment
Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics

Citation: Tomin, Milan, Scipioni, Marco, Gatti, Benjamin (2020). Design, Construction and Testing of a 3-Component Force Balance for Educational Wind Tunnels in Undergraduate Aerodynamics. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons ID oai:commons.erau.edu:jaaer-1809. https://commons.erau.edu/jaaer/vol29/iss1/5 ↗