Affordable aerodynamic testing by repurposing legacy equipment for engineering education

James Clover; Marco Bernagozzi; Idil Fenercioglu

doi:10.1177/03064190261433246

Affordable aerodynamic testing by repurposing legacy equipment for engineering education

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This study presents a novel approach to enhance the educational utility of small-scale wind tunnels through low-cost instrumentation and automation. A legacy Plint TE80 vertical smoke tunnel was repurposed using consumer-grade components to enable automated measurement of aerodynamic properties. Two experimental methodologies were implemented to calculate drag coefficients: the Wake Momentum Deficit Principle and the Surface Pressure Distribution Method, using a NACA0012 airfoil and a cylindrical model. The system achieved drag coefficient measurements within 2% of literature values, demonstrating its viability for educational use. Beyond technical validation, the project addresses broader educational challenges: limited access to high-cost aerodynamic facilities, especially in low-resource settings. By demonstrating that legacy equipment can be modernised affordably (less than 200 GBP) and effectively, this work supports the integration of hands-on experimentation into engineering curricula. This case study underscores the potential of accessible instrumentation to enrich fluid dynamics education and foster deeper student engagement with experimental methods.

Original language	English
Number of pages	30
Journal	International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/03064190261433246
Publication status	Published - 23 Mar 2026

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Keywords

Legacy wind tunnel
wind tunnel instrumentation
experiential learning
low-cost automation

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clover-et-al-2026-affordable-aerodynamic-testing-by-repurposing-legacy-equipment-for-engineering-educationFinal published version, 5.26 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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abstract = "This study presents a novel approach to enhance the educational utility of small-scale wind tunnels through low-cost instrumentation and automation. A legacy Plint TE80 vertical smoke tunnel was repurposed using consumer-grade components to enable automated measurement of aerodynamic properties. Two experimental methodologies were implemented to calculate drag coefficients: the Wake Momentum Deficit Principle and the Surface Pressure Distribution Method, using a NACA0012 airfoil and a cylindrical model. The system achieved drag coefficient measurements within 2\% of literature values, demonstrating its viability for educational use. Beyond technical validation, the project addresses broader educational challenges: limited access to high-cost aerodynamic facilities, especially in low-resource settings. By demonstrating that legacy equipment can be modernised affordably (less than 200 GBP) and effectively, this work supports the integration of hands-on experimentation into engineering curricula. This case study underscores the potential of accessible instrumentation to enrich fluid dynamics education and foster deeper student engagement with experimental methods.",

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N2 - This study presents a novel approach to enhance the educational utility of small-scale wind tunnels through low-cost instrumentation and automation. A legacy Plint TE80 vertical smoke tunnel was repurposed using consumer-grade components to enable automated measurement of aerodynamic properties. Two experimental methodologies were implemented to calculate drag coefficients: the Wake Momentum Deficit Principle and the Surface Pressure Distribution Method, using a NACA0012 airfoil and a cylindrical model. The system achieved drag coefficient measurements within 2% of literature values, demonstrating its viability for educational use. Beyond technical validation, the project addresses broader educational challenges: limited access to high-cost aerodynamic facilities, especially in low-resource settings. By demonstrating that legacy equipment can be modernised affordably (less than 200 GBP) and effectively, this work supports the integration of hands-on experimentation into engineering curricula. This case study underscores the potential of accessible instrumentation to enrich fluid dynamics education and foster deeper student engagement with experimental methods.

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Affordable aerodynamic testing by repurposing legacy equipment for engineering education

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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