Special thanks to

WIND TUNNEL SPIN TEST

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BY CB.EN.U4AEE15037
 Agenda
Introduction
Purpose of the research
Stall phenomenon (NOT FOOD-STALL)
Spin
Wind tunnel spin testing
Visit to NASA’s 20-foot spin tunnel
 Introduction

Airplane spin and stall behavior is an item of interest

during design process, but it also must be verified during
flight testing, which is costly and could be risky.
Wind tunnel spin testing before flight tests seems to be
safe, cheap and productive method of initial experimental
verification of spin behavior of an aircraft.
Spin and Stall cause 25% of disasters in general aviation.
To evaluate aircraft spin characteristics and
steering effectiveness in a spin based on testing of
dynamically similar scaled model.
Initial spin recovery capability based on TDPF (Tail
Damping Power Factor) methodology was made
before wind tunnel testing.
 STALL PHENOMENON
The condition, in which the available lift is
insufficient to balance aircraft weight is called stall.
The stall can be a result of :-
 Insufficient aircraft speed.
Decrease of lift after exceeding of critical angle of attack.
Decrease of effective wing area generating lift as an effect
of separated flow area increase.
In fact, all the above factors influence each other and act
simultaneously.
Spin is a flight condition beyond a critical angle of
attack.
Four phases of spin can be distinguished:
a) Spin entry
b) Incipient spin
c) Developed spin
d) Spin recovery
 WIND TUNNEL SPIN TESTING
Spin testing require a wind
tunnel with vertical flow.
A scale model is hanging in
the center of the test space
on a thin rope.
The rope is attach to the
model the way allowing for
pitch angle change during
the test.
CASE STUDY ON T-105 WIND TUNNEL
• T-105 is a vertical, continuous-
operation, closed-layout wind tunnel
with a round open test section.

• This wind tunnel is designed to

investigate spin modes by testing
dynamically similar models of aircraft
and other flight vehicles in free flight.

SUBSONIC WIND TUNNEL

T-105 WIND TUNNEL FEATURES :
MAIN TECHNICAL PARAMETERS

Stagnation Temperature Environment

Side slip angle 0 to 360 degrees
Nozzle Diameter 4.5 meters
Test Section length 7.5 meters
Flow Velocity 5 – 40 m/s
Flow Direction Upwards
Total Pressure Atmospheric
Dynamic Pressure Up to 0.75 kPa
TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES:
• Vertical flow enabling free flight spin testing.
• Open test section, which allow convenient access to the tested
models.

APPLICATIONS:
• Investigations of spin modes and aerodynamic characteristics
of civil and military aircraft at angles of stall.
(e.g. Su-27, MiG-29, Il-96, Tu-204, Tu-334).

• Development of aerodynamic layout of helicopters.

(e.g. Mi-26, Mi-38, Mi-34, Mi-28, Ka-32, Ka-50, Ka-62).
WELCOME TO LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER
|NASA
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books :
 Modeling flight by Joseph R. Chambers, NASA.
 Wind tunnel testing by Jakub Kulecki, General Electric
Company.
 NASA Technical Note free-flight Investigation, Washington D.C
June 1974.
Online :
 badboy
 https://gizmodo.com/nasa-loves-sending-spacecraft-into-wild-
tumbles-in-this-1730647894
 https://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/historic/20-Foot_Spin_Tunnel
 https://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/windt
unnels.html
NASA Loves Sending Flights Into this Spin Tunnel….. Do You ???