Can someone please recommend basic reading on wind tunnels?

[imavirgo]

TL;DR

How do I use a wind tunnel for qualitative analysis?

Could someone please direct me to some introductory material on wind tunnels? Specifically, how are qualitative techniques (smoke, paint, streamers) applied and interpreted?

Thanks so much

Joe

 

[berkeman]

I did a Google search on wind tunnel design and use and got lots of good hits, including some videos. Maybe try that same search to see if you find some helpful resources. Here is one of the first hits:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...gQFnoECC8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw0lUZp-Eev7I_MIVaUwMmyz

Also, paging @boneh3ad, although more advanced windtunnels and measurements are his specialty.

 

[FactChecker]

Is it even possible to gather "qualitative" information without force measurements, or are those techniques just used to visualize and explain the force measurements?
ADDED: Maybe in extreme cases, like extreme turbulence, some rough conclusions can be drawn.

 

[boneh3ad]

The bible for wind tunnel design: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Low-Speed+Wind+Tunnel+Testing,+3rd+Edition-p-9780471557746

An extremely thick tome on experimental techniques (though close to 20 years out of date now): https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-540-30299-5

Any introductory aerodynamics book will have a fair bit of examples peppered throughout that talk about wind tunnels, such as the texts by Anderson or Bertin and Cummings.

Qualitative results are certainly still useful. Things like "where and when does separation occur" don't need more sophisticated measurements like forces and moments (which are far more complicated to make than you'd think). You just need tufts or oil flow or other similar methods of visualizing the flow pattern.

Unfortunately, I think one of those books mentions that virgos can't conduct wind tunnel experiments. Sorry, I don't make the rules.