Low Speed Wind Tunnel Build

I wanted to design and build my own low speed wind tunnel for home use and experiments. The design was carried out in SOLIDWORKS, and was based on known theory like the bell-mehta polynomial and such.

I created a MATLAB app based on what I had read about wind tunnel design for an open tunnel design. The app generates the proper wind tunnel dimensions based on the test section size, the fan diameter, and the desired diffuser angle. The nozzle profile is generated using a bell-mehta polynomial, and the app outputs the equation in millimeters. An equation driven curve in SOLIDWORKS can be extruded and cut to get the correct surface dimensions, and then the surface flatten tool is used to get a profile which can be laser cut.

To construct the nozzles, i designed a mold for the profile in SOLIDWORKS that I could laser cut out of plywood. I formed the walls of the nozzle by heating up acrylic in my oven, and letting it cool on the mold.

Because I made this in my dorm room I had to keep it short. The current diffuser is way shorter than it should be and will likely result in flow separation and turbulence. So the next steps for this project will be to rebuild the diffuser section once I have more room.

I am also working on creating a smoke generator out of a vape. To see a video, click here