The wind tunnel is a unilateral flow removable bed tool. ​Please see the image above & reference the numbers 1-7 therein:
  1. Air is drawn through the front wall of the tunnel. It & the chamber of the wind tunnel have a a cross sectional area of 1 m wide by 2 m tall. The air is drawn through an array of 1.5" (3.8 cm) diameter PVC air straighteners to reduce turbulence as the air is pulled into the chamber.
  2. Box inserts must be loaded onto a platform to insert them into the testable area with a pallet jack.
  3. 40 Boxes that are 1 m x 1 m (0.3 m deep) can be inserted into the test area of the wind tunnel. These boxes can be planted or a top can be placed over to create a continuous chamber bottom. The boxes are inserted 3.5 m downwind along the 5 m flat chamber bottom. 
  4. This is the testable area where the boxes can be inserted. It is 3.5 m downwind. Boxes are inserted & sealed into the bed & then the chamber itself can be sealed via its door. 
  5. 3D data of the testable area + 0.25 m downwind, can be collected with a 3D sensor. The sensor is mounted to the ceiling of the wind tunnel when in use, so as not to interrupt flow to the testable area, & can be lowered to mountings above the bed to capture 3D data in real-time. The sensor is a class II laser that uses triangulation to collect a max of 2500 profiles stitched together in real time (integrated data processing) to produce a 3D file with factory calibrated, true mm values in all dimensions at at height resolution/precision = 80 µm-670 µm. The scannable area is W = 66 cm, L = 1.25 m. There is not need for post processing & the sensor can handle collecting data on reflective surfaces. 
  6. The fan is 20HP 460V 60 Hz 3 Phase JM Direct Driven Aerofoil fan with a 43000cfm duty. The wind tunnel can reach speeds up to 27 mph (12.1 m/s). Air speed can be monitored via turbine anemometers within the chamber.
  7. We have dry sand on hand donated by Island Beach State Park - mean grain size 0.300-0.350 mm
  8. The air flows out of the chamber & outside via a mechanical louvre. 
  • The front wall of the wind tunnel is lexan to allow viewing of the chamber during use for learning & or research involving videography. The far wall if clear with a ruler background behind the test area.