Alternative flow diverting devices for wind tunnel corners

One drawback to continuous flow wind tunnels has been the losses caused by flow around the tunnel corners. Typically a variety of 90 degree turning vanes have been positioned along the diagonal of the corner to reduce the flow losses. The research reported in this thesis was performed to find alternative tunnel or turning vane configurations that would be more efficient than that typically used in wind tunnels. Two-dimensional flow tests were conducted using a water table to investigate possible alternatives. The selected alternatives were then tested for pressure loss in a three-dimensional flow water tunnel. The results showed that the flow-turning pressure drop using honeycomb to divert flow around a corner was about the same as for a standard turning vane cascade. However, the honeycomb design at the corner could eliminate the need for honeycomb further downstream.