This 1936 promotional film by Chevrolet explains the concept of streamlining objects to reduce their drag. And it actually does a pretty nice job of it, including some wind tunnel Keep reading
Tag: wind tunnels
Aerodynamic Flight Testing
Flight testing models has a long history in aerodynamics. Above you see a Curtiss JN-4 biplane in flight with a model wing suspended below the fuselage. This test was conducted Keep reading
Inside a Wind Tunnel
When I was in graduate school, I worked in a facility known as the High-Speed Wind Tunnel Lab. We were located next door to the Low-Speed Wind Tunnel, and every Keep reading
The Protection of the Peloton
It’s well-known by professional cyclists that sitting in the middle of the peloton requires little effort to overcome aerodynamic drag, but now, for the first time, there’s a scientific study Keep reading
Swimming, Cycling, and Sailing
Summer brings with it lots of great sports, and whether you love riding a bike, sailing a boat, or just hanging out at the pool, our latest FYFD/JFM video has Keep reading
PyeongChang 2018: Skeleton
Skeleton, the sliding event in which athletes race down an ice track head first, is a fast-paced and punishing sport. Skeleton racers can reach speeds of 125 kph (~80 mph) Keep reading
Researching Wind Turbines
Two of the most awesome things (in my admittedly biased opinion) about fluid dynamics are the amazing facilities we build for experiments and the tests they allow us to do. Keep reading
Fluids Round-Up
New year, new (or renewed) experiments. This is the fluids round-up, where I collect cool fluids-related links, articles, etc. that deserve a look. Without further ado: Above is a new Keep reading
Lab-borne Tornadoes
Conventional wind tunnels are great, but some aerodynamic testing requires facilities of a different nature. The video above is from the WindEEE dome, a hexagonal chamber with sixty fans on Keep reading
Testing a Supersonic Car
How do you test a supersonic car like the Bloodhound SSC in a wind tunnel? With free-flying objects like airplanes, wind tunnel testing is relatively straightforward. Mounting a stationary model in Keep reading