Design and development of an interactive virtual wind tunnel

Abstract

A preliminary version has been created by the faculty and CoLEAD to aid in the teaching of ASE1314 and SIE2009. The aim of this package was to complement students on the understanding of the working mechanism of the Wind Tunnel, and its application on flow over bluff bodies.

This project aims to further enhance the existing Wind Tunnel package from a blended learning approach to a fully online applied learning approach. While the previous package explained the functions of the wind tunnel and airfoil, the applied part took place in a lab session, which was still very much a face-to-face experience.

The ability to scaffold this package allows the team to:

1. Develop and replicate the actual physical experiment done in the wind tunnel lab.
2. Create and curate content applicable to the three programmes.
3. Develop quizzes and online assessment to gauge students’ understanding on the applied theory.
4. Explore further development and application of different engineering examples beyond aerospace that requires the use of a wind tunnel (e.g. train aerodynamics/building ventilation/building simulation/turbine flow).