Sauber wind tunnel gets MTS rolling-road
MTS Systems, the Minneapolis, USA, company fitting out the new Sauber Petronas wind tunnel under build in Hinwil, Switerland, has completed installation of its 57-ton 'rolling-road'. The steel belt, to be used to simulate the relative motion between the racecar and the track surface, is said to be the largest of its kind ever built. When completed, the state-of-the-art, 300kph tunnel will accommodate a full-size F1 car, or two 60 percent scale models for testing turbulence effects
The building accommodating the closed-circuit tunnel has a length of 65m, a width of 50m and a height of 17m. Thanks to the unusual length of the test area, and its cross-section of more than 15sq.m, measurements of original vehicles up to the size of vans will be possible. A 3000kW fan will accelerate the airstream to nearly 300kph, and the steel belt will travel at the same speed as the airstream. In order to simulate side-slip conditions, the entire rolling road platform can be rotated by up to 10deg.
The cars under test will be connected to a so-called 'model motion system', allowing any real-world motion of the vehicle to be simulated to measure the corresponding aerodynamic forces.
To fully exploit the potential of the new facility, Sauber is planning to expand its aerodynamics capability. While wind tunnel tests are currently limited to approximately 2400 hours per year, two-shift operations in the new facility should double this number. Sauber comments: "In order to achieve our goals, it is envisioned to expand our aerodynamics team at all levels."
The tunnel is on schedule for completion by mid-December, ahead of a three-month calibration process.
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