Our state-of-the-art facilities support our research into sustainable aviation.
Anechoic wind tunnel
明星八卦 has one of the few aeroacoustics research facilities in UK universities that includes an anechoic chamber. Designed by Dr Tze Pei Chong, it can reach jet speeds of up to 80 m/s with low residue turbulence and noise levels. This facility has been in regular use by Dr Chong's team, other researchers at 明星八卦, and external collaborators, contributing to the success of numerous research grants.
Subsonic wind tunnels
Our subsonic wind tunnels are suitable for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral projects. The wind tunnels are equipped with a force balance that allows measurement in the aerodynamic forces produced by lifting surfaces, or non-streamlined flow bodies.
Transonic/supersonic wind tunnel
Our transonic/supersonic wind tunnel can operate at speeds of Mach 0.8, 1.2, and 1.8. There is a schlieren system for visualising shockwaves and pressure tappings all along the bottom liner that are connected to a manometer for pressure measurement.
Wind turbine prototype
A recently acquired wind turbine prototype supports research and design projects, enabling the testing of wind-tunnel rotor models. This facility supports our proposals to aircraft manufacturers.
Structural testing facilities
We have access to standard mechanical test machines. This includes a high force shaker table allowing vertical and horizontal sine, random and shock testing of structures and a Hopkinson bar facility for high strain rate material testing relevant for impact and crash load conditions. A range of additional specialist equipment is accessible via the National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC) partnership.
Experimental research equipment and expertise
We have an extensive range of fluid measuring equipment, such as a complete Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system, three-components hot wire anemometry system, surface mounted hot film sensors, and liquid crystals and high-speed camera for flow visualisation. On the aeroacoustics side, we have microphone array to quantify sound power radiation and directivity, surface mounted miniature microphone for wall pressure measurement, and beamformer array for acoustic source localisation.
Computational and numerical tools
Computational tools, including Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes, have been created by our researchers for various applications, as well as Molecular Dynamics (MD) codes (FlowMol) simulating turbulence at the molecular scale.
High-performance computing
High-performance computing resources are accessible through 明星八卦's partnership with the via the Young supercomputer based at University College London
Anachoic chamber and aeroacoustics open jet wind tunner
One of our subsonic wind tunnels