R.J. Mitchell wind tunnel

More Information

About the R.J. Mitchell wind tunnel

The R.J. Mitchell wind tunnel is the largest of our wind tunnels.

It is ideal for vehicle aerodynamic work and performance sport testing. The facility supports research and development across motorsport, cycling, sailing and aerospace, with applications ranging from race car and bicycle aerodynamics to yacht sails and aircraft wings. The wind tunnel can also be used to investigate aerodynamic performance in challenging conditions, including wing aerodynamics in ground effect, making it suitable for both fundamental research and industry-focused testing.

The test section is 3.5 metres (m) wide by 2.4 m tall (11’x 8’) with moving ground and boundary layer suction.

View our R.J. Mitchell wind tunnel video for more information.

Take a virtual tour around wind tunnel.

Consultancy and commercial hire

We offer expert advice through our consultancy services which include:

technical support
design and drawing
results analysis and interpretation

Our support workshops offer metalworking, model making and jig manufacture facilities.

You can also hire the tunnel to carry out your own testing, with our expertise on hand should you need it.

Technical specification

The R.J. Mitchell wind tunnel has a 6-component overhead balance and a strut-mounted 6-component 'in-car' balance.

Nutem 6-component overhead balance:

mounted overhead and can be set at any yaw angle
concentric turntable independent of the balance
strut attachments with adjustable pitch angle

Alternative virtual roll centres at:

tunnel centre-line
300 millimetres (mm) above moving ground
flex-link design with independent load cells for each measurement component

Adjustable maximum load ranges:

lift 300-11000 Newton (N)
Fx 258-5000 N
Fy 645-3350 N
yaw moment 83 – 830 Newton-metre (Nm)
pitch moment 83 - 3500 Nm
roll moment 165 - 2500 Nm
analogue/digital conversion for acquisition of signals

*Test section prepared for a boundary layer test*

Aerotech 6-component internal balance:

mounted in model and from a vertical strut
faired strut with ride height control mounted from Nutem ground frame
strain gauged cage design

Maximum load ranges:

downforce 3600 N
drag 900 N
side force 1000 N
yaw moment 260 Nm
pitch moment 700 Nm
roll moment 120 Nm

*A 30% scale F1 model from a 4th year project*

Other equipment:

National Instruments LabView based acquisition system
Scanivalve pressure scanning system
streamwise Procap 5-hole and 14-hole probes with motion tracking for flow capture
traverse mechanism for wake surveys etc.
2D/3D Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV)