EXPERIMENTAL AERODYNAMICS

Turkish Aerospace Large Subsonic Wind Tunnel was established to meet the experimental aerodynamic needs of air vehicles, that are of critical importance in the development process.

Model design, analysis, production, assembly, instrumentation and wind tunnel testing are performed at the Wind Tunnel Test Facility. Integrated solutions are offered to address wind tunnel testing needs with aerodynamic design, analysis and wind tunnel tests, depending on the need. Capabilities are available to meet the needs of the defense and aerospace industries, as well as other areas like automotive, energy and urban planning.

Experimental aerodynamics engineering services include model wind load estimations, wall effect corrections, critical flow condition prediction and test planning, execution and reporting. An integrated engineering approach is adopted from pre-test optimization to result verification.

Turkish Aerospace Large Subsonic Wind Tunnel (TST) is a closed-loop, atmospheric and subsonic wind tunnel. It features a heat exchanger to maintain air temperature constant in the flow and various flow regulating screens for best flow quality.

Aeroacoustics insulations located in the wind tunnel circuit and the test hall are reducing the noise. Three interchangeable test sections allow for different wind speed and model scale options to meet test requirements, with the maximum achievable wind speed recorded as Mach 0.55. Different model support systems allow for testing in different aircraft and areas.

A comprehensive infrastructure featuring advanced sensor technologies and in-house designed measurement systems ensures the required precision and efficiency of test data collection. Model integrated solutions, from six-degree high-precision balances to pitot tubes that analyze flow dynamics, maximize data reliability. All models are prepared in-house with instrumentation, calibration and data acquisition systems. The sensors used are listed below.

Since 2019, Turkish Aerospace has been conducting wind tunnel model design, analysis, production, assembly, and instrumentation activities. Since then, all processes for wind tunnel models used in tests conducted in various wind tunnels for Turkish Aerospace products have been handled by Turkish Aerospace. The dedicated wind tunnel model production area adjacent to the test facility utilizes 5/9-axis precision CNC machines to provide model fabrication services for wind tunnel testing.