A feasibility study of a transonic adaptation of the AEDC 16-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel facility

The 16-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel (168) at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) is one of the largest continuous flow supersonic wind tunnels in the world. However, because of the high energy costs required to operate it for testing, the facility does not get much usage. Consequently, the Air Force does not expend funds to keep the instrumentation and control systems at state-of-the-art status. However, the uniqueness of the facility prevents its demise, at least for nowl To increase usage, I took another look at solutions that have been approached by various methods through the years at AEDC. If we can adapt 168 for transonic testing, we can increase its usage as well as relieve some of the work load of the 16-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel (16T). Many of the sources cited are from "Memos for Record" and operation reports which the contractor personnel have kept through the years. Additional data and ideas have been gathered by discussions with numerous facility engineers at AEDC. The facility descriptions are from a Test Facility Handbook as well as from instruction books provided by Westinghouse after the construction and initial checkout of the facility. The solution of adapting 168 into a transonic facility can be implemented; however, it is not a low cost undertaking. Because of this, I have broken down the solution into increments of work. This progresses from what I consider the bare minimum for a practical cost-effective solution up to a very effective test unit. The increase in usage of the modified facility undoubtedly will come, but a major commitment and investment by the government is required first.