7 x 10-Foot Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT)

Force Test set-up in 7 x 10-Foot Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT). In 1928, the NACA decided to replace its original Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT #1) with two tunnels--the 5-foot vertical tunnel and a 7 by 10 foot rectangular throat tunnel. Both were open-throat, closed-return-passage tunnels and were housed in the same building the first wind tunnel had been located in. While the 5-foot vertical tunnel was to be used mainly for spin tests, the 7x10 was an all-purpose tunnel although the main intent was to study stability and control problems. Construction was completed in the summer of 1930; calibration later that same year. The balance was installed and the tunnel went into operation in early 1931. There was a 6-component balance in this wind tunnel. The balance could support either static or rotation tests.
NASA Identifier: L5621