Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Wind Tunnels


We’ve got tunnels for cars, trains, and pedestrians, but what about tunnels for wind?  Aerodynamics is a field of science that studies the flow of air or gases around an object in motion.  Wind tunnels are used to test the aerodynamics of anything from car windshields to entire planes.  The first wind tunnel debuted in 1871, and was the work of Frank H. Wenham and the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain.  Since then, wind tunnels have evolved to include supersonic tunnels that generate winds faster than the speed of sound (768mph or 1,235.9 kph), and hypersonic tunnels that blast wind at 3,800mph to 11,400mph (6,115.5 kph to 18, 346.5 kph).  Engineers can adjust temperature and humidity as well as wind speed.  There are even recreational wind tunnels, used for indoor skydiving.  Find one near you today and use a tunnel to experience human flight.