Steady flow quality assessment of a modified transonic wind tunnel

An existing operational trisonic wind tunnel is upgraded to improve its performance criterion in the transonic regime. In this research, the test section is modified according to the operational requirements of the various existing transonic wind tunnels. Several perforated walls are designed, manufactured, and installed on the top and bottom sides of the test section. The flow in the test section of the wind tunnel is surveyed for the empty condition prior to testing models. Once satisfactory results regarding the flow quality requirements in the test section under various conditions were achieved, a 2D model, NACA 0012, and a 3D standard model for the transonic wind tunnels, AGARD-B, are manufactured and tested under various conditions for the purpose of integral calibration and validation of the tunnel data. Surface pressure distribution as well as the force and moment data compare well with the existing data from other tunnels for similar models tested under the same conditions.