Wind Tunnel
- kliu3758
- Feb 8
- 2 min read
After weeks of designing and printing, my wind tunnel was finally coming together. The setup consisted of five main parts: the compressor (to straighten the airflow), the collector (to speed up the air), the test chamber (where the actual testing happens), and the diffuser (to slow the air down before exiting through the fan). I decided on a hexagonal straightener because it covered the collector’s area while using the least amount of filament. After assembling everything over several days, it was time for the first test.
For visualization, I planned to use incense sticks to generate smoke. The first time, I started with three sticks—barely any smoke. Five sticks still was not enough. Finally, I lit ten, but just as I was about to see results, a strong gust of wind blew the smoke in the wrong direction. That ended my testing for the day, I felt like I smoked 5 cigarettes.
The next day, determined to get it right, I checked the weather forecast and made sure the wind speed was under five mph before testing again. This time, the smoke actually went into the wind tunnel! However, the fan wasn’t just pulling in smoke; it was also pulling in the fire from the incense. The result? My straightener was basically useless as the flames destroyed it.
For my third attempt, I removed the straightener since it didn’t seem to have much effect anyway. This time, everything worked perfectly. The smoke flowed smoothly through the tunnel, revealing the airflow in action. Watching it billow out the other side was incredibly satisfying after all the trial and error.
This project taught me a lot—not just about airflow, but about problem-solving (and the importance of checking the weather). While it took a few failed attempts to get it right, the final result was worth it.
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