An Improved Wind Tunnel Configuration for the Investigation of Aerodynamic Cross Wind Gust Response

An improved technique is described for the experimental modeling of transient cross wind gust influences on passenger vehicles. The new configuration uses a set of vertical axis shutters which open and close in a ‘Mexican wave’ fashion to scan the cross wind jet along the working section of the wind tunnel. The new arrangement dramatically increases the rate at which experiments can be performed and offers the opportunity to apply phase-averaging techniques to multiple data sets in order to reduce noise. This is a significant development as most previous test methods have suffered from poor signal to noise ratios. Experimental results are presented for transient surface pressure measurements on a simplified vehicle model which clearly demonstrate the benefits of the new technique.