Overview
A graduate level course on wind tunnel testing, aptly entitled Advanced Wind Tunnel Testing (MAE 266), was introduced in Winter 1998. The course provides an overview of important aspects of low-speed wind tunnel testing for solving aeronautical and nonaeronautical problems including tunnel corrections, scale effects, force and moment measurements, and flow visualization. Class participants develop, perform, and present a term project using the UC Davis Aeronautical Wind Tunnel. Students gain valuable experience as they are confronted with the operational and procedural logistics of wind tunnel experimentation.
Past term projects have involved boundary layer transition visualization, gurney flaps, remote instrument control and data acquisition, and turbulence measurements.
An undergraduate course titled Wind-Tunnel Experimentation (EME 167D) will be introduced in Spring 2001. The course is the undergraduate equivalent of MAE 266 and will provide an overview of important aspects of low-speed wind-tunnel testing for solving a variety of aerodynamic problems.
For more information about either course, contact C.P. van Dam.