A wind tunnel, even though it seems like a pretty straight-forward thing, is actually a very complicated and expensive piece of equipment that not a lot of companies had a few decades ago.
GM now has two.
However, economy or lack of space are not the reasons why General Motors came up with this new miniature wind tunnel that will be used to test its design ideas for new models of cars and trucks. Instead, this solution allows the designers and engineers to work more quickly on their proposals and begin testing from the earlier stages of development.
The new 35,000-square-foot Reduced Scale Wind Tunnel is built on the campus of the company’s Technical Center. It is able to work with clay models up to 40 percent the size of the real vehicle it represents. The results gained through this scaled-down testing procedure can then be used on the full-size vehicle.
The scaled wind tunnel is also equipped with a conveyor-style rolling road system that helps simulate highway driving in the real world at speeds of up to 155 mph (250 km/h).
If the term “clay model” seems a bit archaic and makes you think of a very low-tech brownish silhouette of a car, you’ll love this next bit. GM is also using advanced 3D printing machines to reproduce very accurately important parts that play a major role in a car’s aerodynamics. Detailed engine blocks, underbodies or fully-functional suspension systems are being used to study how the airflow is affected and how it can be improved for quieter and more economical cars.
Since now there is a backup solution, the existing full-scale wind tunnel located just next door will be upgraded next year to include its own rolling road system, among other less significant improvements.
“The combined capabilities of our new reduced-scale and full-scale wind tunnels allow us to reach industry-leading levels of aerodynamic refinement,” said Ken Morris, vice president, GM Global Product Integrity. “We view the new $30 million reduced scale wind tunnel as an investment towards a better, more energy-efficient future.”
There you have it. We’ve been told downsizing was key to more efficient cars, we just never thought they meant actually scaling down the cars...
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