Improving three major wind tunnels in Europe
Three of the world's leading advanced wind tunnels are ONERA S1MA in France, DNW-LLF in the Netherlands and ETW in Germany. In order for these tunnels to compete in the modern wind tunnel testing environment, infrastructure of excellent performance and quality is needed. This was the overall aim of the EU-funded project ESWIRP (European strategic wind tunnels improved research potential). European researchers were given access to the three ground test facilities. Wind tunnels represent the aviation industry's most common test facilities. Universities and research institutes were able to carry out research tests in the improved wind tunnels. To facilitate transnational access, three two-day workshops were organised near the participating wind tunnels. The workshops provided researchers with opportunities to propose and discuss potential projects with experts. Following the third event, a call for proposals was also sent out, and selected proposals helped steer project activities. Following the call, researchers were given free access to wind tunnel services, including technical assistance. A series of networking activities were carried out. They included information campaigns, lectures and workshops to disseminate knowledge to various stakeholders, a website to discuss wind tunnel standards, exchange of personnel to publicise best practices and swap technical know-how, and development of a reference wind tunnel parameter database. Several major infrastructure improvements were realised. DNW-LLF enhanced its ground simulation capability, ETW boosted its unsteady testing capabilities and ONERA S1MA established a reliable Mach control system. ESWIRP helped optimise the use of three world-class aeronautical wind tunnels and improve their performance and interoperability. The improvements should maintain and enhance the leadership of the European aerospace industry.
Keywords
Wind tunnels, wind tunnel testing, test facilities, aviation industry
