Sub-sonic Open-return Wind-tunnel and Measurement Apparatus

Wind tunnels are an effective tool for understanding relationships between predicted and actual behavior of air foils in laminar flow. In order to improve the ability of Macalester College staff and students to observe and experiment with the effects of laminar air flow on various objects and systems, it was necessary to construct and test a sub-sonic open return wind tunnel. The purpose of the tests was to discover whether or not the air flow through the test section of the tunnel was laminar around the object being tested and also to evaluate the quality of an apparatus constructed to measure lift and drag within the wind tunnel. I present the results of my tests and analyses as well as comparisons to known data and proven relationships