The Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory includes five wind tunnel testing areas at our facility at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. This includes the state-of-the-art boundary layer wind tunnels BLWT 1 and BLWT 2. With the help of cutting-edge instrumentation, our facility is capable of a wide range of wind consulting for bridges, buildings, and other structures.
BLWT 1, opened in 1965, was the first boundary layer wind tunnel in the world. Still in operation today, this tunnel is primarily used to conduct studies of building pressures and pedestrian-level winds.
Length: 33 m
Width: 2.4 m
Height: 2.5 m
Maximum Wind Speed: 55 km/h
The second generation BLWT 2, larger, faster and more versatile than its predecessor, opened in 1984. This 64 m-long closed-circuit wind tunnel includes three distinct test sections for different wind study applications.
The high-speed section of the tunnel is the primary testing facility at the laboratory. The downwind portion of this tunnel is used for general boundary layer simulation of buildings and other tall structures, while the upwind inlet section is used for section model testing of bridges and towers.
Width: 3.4 m
Height: 2.5 m
Maximum Wind Speed: 100 km/h
The low-speed section of the tunnel is well-suited for larger and Froude number-scaled tests, including full aeroelastic studies of bridges, pollutant dispersion, and topography. This section of the tunnel is equiped with a wave tank (situated below removable floor panels) which can be used to study wave-wind intereactions on offshore structures.
Width: 5.0 m
Height: 4.0 m
Maximum Wind Speed: 35 km/h
BLWTL’s miniature wind tunnel is a small-scale testing area primarily used for preliminary studies and academic research. Its compact size allows for quick turnaround and cost-effective investigations of small models and components, enabling validation of concepts before moving to the larger wind tunnels.
Length: 1.5 m
Width: 0.5 m
Height: 0.5 m
Maximum Wind Speed: 60 km/h
Customized Environment: Six wind tunnel control and data acquisition systems provide a customized scripted testing environment to satisfy complex experimental requirements.
High-Speed Capture: Each unit is capable of complete wind tunnel control while capturing data on 64 channels at speeds up to 100,000 samples per second.
Seamless Integration: The systems enable real-time analysis and reporting and provide remote control for the lab’s pressure scanning systems and other instrumentation.
Capacity and Speed: Dual pressure scanning systems offer simultaneous input capacity of 2048 taps capable of sampling periods below 1 microsecond.
Seemless Integration: Both units support simultaneous remote control connections with our wind tunnel control systems for seamless experiment integration and real-time analysis/reporting capabilities.
Advanced Flow Measurement: Laser doppler anemometry can be employed for high-resolution, non-intrusive measurement of flow velocity, while Particle Image Velocimetry allows for detailed flow visualization and measurement.
Structure Excitation and Damping Testing: Our shaking table and other test appartus enable physical examination of structure excitation and evaluation of damping.
Water-Based Simulation: Our facilities include a wave tank to study wind-wave effects on offshore structures.
Monitoring Tools: We maintain Full-Scale Monitoring Equipment for continued evaluation following our wind tunnel testing.