- The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) successfully completed the first blow-down test to officially open the new trisonic wind tunnel.
- Large tubes with air moving within are called wind tunnels.
- The tunnels are used to mimic an object in flight’s movements.
- Wind tunnels are used by researchers to better understand how an aircraft will fly.
- Space agencies test scale models of aircraft and spacecraft in wind tunnels. Some wind tunnels are large enough to accommodate whole automobile models.
- In a wind tunnel, air is moved around an item to simulate actual flight.
Working of Wind Tunnels
- Powerful fans are typically used to move air through the tube.
- The testing object is secured inside the tube so that it cannot move.
- A miniature replica of a car might be the item. It might only be a component of a car.
- It might be a large spaceship or aircraft. Even a commonplace thing like a tennis ball qualifies.
- You may put smoke or dye in the air and watch it move. To demonstrate how the air is moving, threads might be affixed to the object.
- The force of the air on the object is frequently measured using specialised instruments.
Trisonic Wind Tunnel at VSCC
- The phrase “trisonic” describes the tunnel’s ability to conduct tests at three different speeds: subsonic, transonic, and supersonic (supersonic).
- Its components include air storage tanks, an airflow’smoothening’ chamber, and nozzles for releasing air into the test portion.
- It is roughly 160 metres long and 5.4 metres wide at its widest point.
- A “blow down test” simulates flight circumstances by releasing stored gases and blowing them through the test section of the tunnel.
- According to the space agency, the tunnel can simulate flight circumstances at speeds ranging from 0.8 times the speed of sound (68 metres per second) to 4 times the speed of sound (1,360 metres per second).
- Commissioned in 2017, this tunnel can simulate flow speeds up to Mach 12.