With a test section measuring 6 by 6 ft (1.8 by 1.8 m) and maximum wind speeds of approximately 262.6 ft/s (80.0 m/s), it is one of the largest university-owned wind tunnels in the United States,[1] and is used for a wide variety of research projects within the college as well as being contracted out for commercial use, especially product testing.
The Stability Wind Tunnel was first built by the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), the predecessor to NASA, at Langley Research Center in 1940.
In 1958, shortly after being declared surplus, it was acquired by Virginia Tech and was attached to the university's Randolph Hall, where it was re-activated in 1961,[2] and remains active to this day, currently being operated by the Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering.
[4] This causes an absence of background noise allows researchers to monitor the sounds coming from the test section with microphones in order to gain data regarding the airflow and turbulence of smooth airfoils and other objects.
The majority of the data is currently received and analyzed by a National Instruments mainframe, alongside a number of amplifiers and other assorted equipment.