Wind Tunnel Simulator

DroneMaster Wind Tunnel Simulator
Ma 0.000 Re —
0 m/s
Low pressureHigh pressure
Lift coeff. CL
Drag coeff. CD
L/D ratio
Lift force
kN
Drag force
kN
Wing loading
kg/m²
Dynamic pressure
Pa
Thrust/weight
Aspect ratio
CL vs angle of attack
Drag polar — CD vs CL
L/D ratio vs angle of attack
Lift

Air accelerates over the curved upper surface, dropping pressure (Bernoulli). Higher pressure below pushes the wing up. L = CL × ½ρV²S.

Drag

Skin friction drag + pressure drag from the separated wake. Near Mach 1, wave drag adds a third component. Minimising drag is the primary goal of aerodynamic design.

Angle of attack

Raising AoA increases lift — until the boundary layer separates and the wing stalls. Typical stall: 12–18° depending on airfoil shape, sweep, and Reynolds number.

~
Reynolds number

Re = ρVL/μ. Governs laminar vs turbulent boundary layers. Scale models in a tunnel have lower Re than full-size aircraft — the core accuracy challenge of wind tunnel testing.

±0.5–1%Lift accuracy
±1–3%Drag accuracy
2–5%vs flight test
1871First tunnel built
Mach 20Modern test limit