Design , Fabrication , and Uniformity Testing of a Versatile , Low-Cost Student Wind Tunnel

In recent years, research into application and optimization of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been growing in popularity. To test full-scale UAV propellers,wind tunnels with large test sections are needed. In addition, some modifications to an existing tunnel are needed, that, for both administrative and technical reasons, would be difficult to add to existing expensive commercial wind tunnels. For these purposes, and to increase student capacity to use wind tunnels, our group designed and fabricated a versatile, low-cost wind-tunnel with a large 36 in square test section for use by student researchers at the University of Oklahoma. We expect that this tunnel will serve aerodynamics researchers by providing a flexible and robust platform for development and testing of many aerodynamics components, including UAV propellers. The following report includes a description of the design and construction processes and preliminary uniformity testing of the tunnel for validation purposes.