The Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ITAM) SB RAS has launched a unique wind tunnel for scientific research on icing in aviation. This was announced by Andrey Shmakov, a researcher at the institute.
The experiment proceeds as follows: we turn on the engine, the air starts to circulate, then we turn on the cooling of the flow, wait for the temperature we want to obtain, and in the working section on the model we get ice build-up.
The new installation allows studying the processes of aircraft icing in sub-zero temperatures. The main feature of the created tube is its compact size (360x50x1000 mm). This allows conducting research on small objects.
The wind tunnel is a closed steel loop. In it, the air is cooled to the required temperatures using a flow-through heat exchanger. In the tube, it is possible to study air movement at speeds from 5 to 50 meters per second, and the temperature during modeling can vary from room temperature to minus 35°C.
A model is placed in the working section, onto which water is injected. Depending on the speed, temperature, and dispersed phase of the water, scientists can conduct research and measure how much ice forms on the model in a certain amount of time.
Earlier www1.ru reported that TsAGI created a "Wing Console" stand for regional aviation aircraft.
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