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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0535.PDF
535 Ji This impressive "Flight" photograph reveals the general layout of the A.R.A. tunnel buildings at Bedford, as seen from the air. should incorporate perforated walls and that the working section size would be 9ft wide x 8ft high, enabling models of about 3ft span to be tested. At the speed of sound this gives a Reynolds Number of about 4 x 10* at atmospheric stagnation pressure. Dur- ing the second half of 1952 the detailed design of the tunnel was started, and the first order for the construction of the main shell was placed with Moreland Hayne and Co., Ltd., in September of that year. Two months later the order was placed for the main 25,000 h.p. electric motor with the English Electric Co. Assistance in the design of the tunnel and in model test work was received from the R.A.E. Farnborough, Fairey Aviation, and American private firms and government research establishments. Building work on the site began in October 1953 and the first pan of the tunnel shell was erected in the following August. All work on the transonic tunnel itself has now been completed and only calibration is required before it is ready for tests on models for member firms. Present Mach-number range is 0.7—1.3. During the course of the design of the transonic tunnel it was decided to add a smaller supersonic tunnel which would be powered by the auxiliary suction plant already provided for the larger tunnel. The working section is 2 ft x 2^ft and the tunnel will cover a speed range from M= 1.6 to about 3.4. Completion of this supersonic tunnel is planned for early 1957. In addition, a smaller transonic tunnel having a working sec- tion 9in x 8in is being built. This will be an intermittent tunnel driven from the dry-air storage supply being provided for the supersonic tunnel. It will be particularly valuable for pre- liminary tests of model rigs prior to their use in the main transonic Fig. 1. The main transonic tunnel circuit is of conventional closed type. Flexible walls and perforated walls are features of the working section. COOLER EXPANSION JOINT FAN SECTION MAIN FAN DRIVE SHAFT SMOOTHING SCREEN "SECTION^ A'R R£-ENTKY SECTION EXPANSION JOINT
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