New GM Wind Tunnel
Press release on GM's new scale wind tunnel in Warren:
New GM Wind Tunnel Accelerates Fuel-Saving Designs http://www.wired.com/wp-content/uplo...4-1024x768.jpg |
From the article:
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I have read that Ford received stimulus money for simply converting light truck plants into making smaller fuel efficient cars. These events were way back in 2009-ish (some tied to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009). I'm just wondering if this facility is an outcrop of that funding, or more of a response to the heightened fuel economy requirements on the horizon. 2012 Obama Administration Finalizes Historic 54.5 MPG Fuel Efficiency Standards https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press...iency-standard Quote:
2014 White House to Toughen Fuel Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles President Obama Announces New Fuel Economy Regulations | TIME.com If anyone finds an article linking government grants and or loans to the building of this new wind tunnel please post it. For now it's just a suspicion of mine based on previous events. Some (Industry Lobbyists) may have felt it was unfair to hike up standards which may impose a financial burden on the car industry, without some vehicle/means/government guaranteed loans to help reach these goals. Excluding the politics of regulation, the idea of 3D printing scaling down the costs of running different models though it at a more rapid pace is news worthy to say the least. |
What is that, a wind tunnel for ants? :)
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1/10 scale up to 40% scale models
GM's Reduced Scale Wind Tunnel latest testing facility and their 'Honey I've shrunk the kids' models are not just the exterior shells but also include 3D printed highly detailed engines, moving suspension hardware and detailed underbody contours to properly test functional performance on a rolling conveyor road/belt system. Aero-thermodynamic analysis of the component cooling and under body flow effects can also be tested. The downscaling allows to test the new model designs up to 155 mph. The old-school clay models have a limited test life as they eventually dry out, change shape and are destroyed. The new super-realistic and quicker prototyping with ABS, PC or ULTEM thermoplastics are more accurate, durable, repeatable and stable over time.
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Anything a kid could get in and pedal around is 1/4th scale, not 1/10th. And it's at the lower limit for the 4 load cells.
Rolling road only between the load cells? Reverse tricycles are just right out. |
I think 1/6th scale is the smallest you can go with boats, ships and hovercraft/SES scale model testing.
This 40% scale number in the article is the max-size. |
So does this also mean a lower power draw when doing the testing ?
Wind tunnels are huge power hogs. |
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I'm already baffled as to how normal people can afford a new car. Even with seven (Seven!!!) year car loans, the monthly costs for a typical new car are far too high for me to justify. It seems impossible to me for the median household income (~$52k) to buy a median priced car (~$33k). |
It would sure be fun to work there! :eek:
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