Unique experiential learning lab is part science, part art
Among the industry-impacting laboratories at The Ohio State University Aerospace Research Center (ARC) is the Honda Partnership Aero/Acoustics Support Lab. Here, students learn about wind tunnel-based investigations under the guidance of researchers preparing for experiments at one of the world's most advanced wind tunnels: the Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio (HALO) Wind Tunnel.
“Automotive aerodynamics and aeroacoustics investigations are critical to achieving more efficient road vehicles,” said Associate Professor Lian Duan, Ohio State College of Engineering Honda Chair in Transportation and director of the university’s Computational Aerodynamics and Flow Physics Lab (CAFPLab), which manages the aero/acoustics lab.
“Our partnership with Honda enables us to provide real-time feedback during testing, and also allows our students to have an outstanding experiential learning opportunity.”
A strategic collaboration between Ohio State and Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, LLC allows the two entities to engage in multiple projects revolving around the HALO Wind Tunnel. The Honda Partnership Aero/Acoustics Support Lab provides a staging area for these projects and training opportunities for the next generation of wind tunnel professionals.
Developing student experts
Ohio State students gain practical knowledge and transferable skills in this one-of-a-kind experiential learning facility. Boosting ARC’s total equipment suite, the lab owns several of the only instruments of their kind, according to lab supervisor Research Scientist Kevin Disotell.
Disotell divides his time between ARC and HALO, where he works alongside Honda staff to perform full-size passenger vehicle tests in the world-class wind tunnel. When he is at ARC, he carefully guides students on how to use the lab’s specialized equipment, including those that are subsystems of the measurement equipment used at HALO.
“ARC’s Honda Partnership Aero/Acoustics Support Lab is a launching pad for teaching as well as critical maintenance of some of our key aerodynamics and acoustics measurement equipment at Ohio State,” said Disotell. That encompasses “luminescent paints, particle image and laser Doppler velocimetry, hot-wire anemometry, unsteady pressure and measurement microphone systems.”
The lab “is a dedicated space allowing us to train students to use these tools, and a place to develop and conduct measurement system verification checks in preparation for larger-scale tests at industry-scale wind tunnels or component facilities here at ARC.”
Those trained include undergraduate and graduate students, both from CAFPLab and ARC’s many other labs.
Part science, part art
CAFPLab was established with dual, complementary expertise areas. While Duan leads the team in theoretical work and simulations, Disotell focuses on acquiring real-world test data used for validation. Their combined findings can be widely applied to enhance automobile and aircraft efficiency.
Fundamental data collected by the aero/acoustics lab during wind tunnel testing include how pressure, temperature and airflow velocity change around vehicles.
By using pressure- and temperature-sensitive paint and a laser, the team acquires surface data to quantify and visualize airflow unsteadiness, impacting force and thermal loads on vehicle bodies. Disotell describes the application of this specialized paint as “part art,” as it is carefully mixed and applied by hand in the lab.
“We mix our own paint in-house and have a benchtop calibration chamber to convert the emitted luminescent signal to engineering units of pressure needed to do calculations,” said Disotell. “Ohio State is one of only a few universities in the nation with this in-house capability.” Students are able to participate in each step of the process.
To measure airflow velocity, the same type of laser and camera are employed to track the speed of small particles introduced in the air flowing around an object, a technique called particle image velocimetry. The laser and camera, acquired under a U.S. Army Research Office Defense University Research Instrumentation Program in 2013, provide real-time feedback on airflow velocity. However, before students progress to using the advanced equipment, they learn the basics by using a simple, department-store-style nebulizer – practice is key to success.
In a final step, students learn how to analyze data collected from wind tunnel measurements using custom software written by themselves and Disotell. It is one of many transferrable skills students hone for use in future careers.
Outcomes
The well-equipped and meticulously maintained aero/acoustic lab not only provides a preparation area for wind tunnel testing, but also allows students to gain skills in planning, setup and maintenance of specialized equipment and analysis of test results.
In addition, thanks to the involvement of the Honda-Ohio State Partnership – via a research project and general support – the lab and students benefit from exposure to industry-relevant challenges in automotive aerodynamics and wind noise.
“The ability to collect custom data for Honda vehicles while also training students is a win-win,” said Duan. “We look forward to continuing to grow our partnership.”