Modular Wind Tunnel

Project Overview

Over the course of this project, my group members and I worked to design a fully custom and unique wind tunnel design.

The goals for the project were to create a wind tunnel that has modular components that users can adjust to modify the testing conditions, specifically the flow of the fog through the testing chamber. We also wanted all the components to be as accessible as possible to as many people as possible, so we opted to use an Arduino microcontroller, hardware components from McMaster-Carr, and 3D printed components.

The wind tunnel is run on an Arduino Uno R3 microprocessor, which runs all the code that does the calculations that are output on the LCD Display. It outputs the real-time wind speed, fan RPM, status of the fog dispenser, and the forces acting upon the testing model in all 3 axes.

In the end, the project ended up winning the Best Design, Best Manufacturing Plan, and Best Elevator Pitch award during our class Elevator Pitch session, as well as the Best Manufacturing Process and Best Overall Project awards at our final presentation event.

The code and CAD files for this project are available for download here.