DIGITAL WIND TUNNEL

An interactive lab for learning aerodynamics: no wind required

test section · bay 01

FLOW: ATTACHED ⏸ PAUSED

Speed

0max

⌀ scale 10 cm / div

Force history

C_LC_D

Lift curve · C_L vs α

Test body i

Model

digit 1: camber % · digit 2: camber pos ×10% · digits 3-4: thickness %

Angle of attack 4.0°

Flow settings i

Wind speed 30 m/s

Working fluid

Visualization i

View mode

Smoke overlay

Smoke density 60%

Simulation quality

Physics: D2Q9 lattice-Boltzmann fluid solver, computed live in your browser. A 2-D educational model: trends are real, exact numbers are not flight data. Built for students, inspired by classic smoke-tunnel demonstrations.

Learn: Aerodynamics Glossary

Anatomy of a real wind tunnel

Welcome! Before you run your first experiment, meet the machine. A wind tunnel doesn't move the aircraft: it moves the air, and holds the model still. This diagram shows a closed-circuit tunnel, the kind used by NASA and universities: air loops around continuously, driven by a fan. Everything you'll simulate on this page happens in one place: the test section (highlighted).

1Fan & drive: a giant propeller pushes the air around the loop. Big tunnels use fans the size of houses driven by megawatt motors.

2Turning vanes: curved blades in each corner steer the air smoothly around the bend so it doesn't tumble.

3Settling chamber & honeycomb: screens and honeycomb straighten the flow, ironing out swirl and turbulence before the measurement.

4Contraction cone: the duct narrows, so the air must speed up (conservation of mass). This also flattens out any remaining unevenness.

5Test section, you are here! the fastest, cleanest air meets the model. Everything this simulator shows happens in this glass box.

6Diffuser: the duct widens gently, slowing the air to recover pressure so the fan needs less power.

Keyboard controls

SpacePause / resume the simulation: freeze the flow to study it. RReset the flow to a clean uniform stream (settings are kept). ← →Decrease / increase angle of attack by 0.5°: sweep the lift curve by hand. VCycle view modes: smoke → speed → pressure → vorticity. SToggle the smoke overlay on and off. ?Show this help. EscClose panels and dialogs.