Non‐Lube Bronze Bearings Carry Heavy Structures in Cryogenic Windtunnel

DESIGN and development of the future generations of aircraft depends heavily upon the capabilities of windtunnels to simulate true flight conditions. To achieve this, it is essential that the test parameters used in the windtunnel match those of the corresponding flight conditions, including the shape of the aircraft, the Mach number and the Reynolds number. Whilst it is relatively straightforward to simulate the first two parameters correctly, existing windtunnels are restricted to Reynolds numbers which are lower than those prevailing in the high subsonic cruising flight of modern large transport aircraft. However, by reducing the operating temperature of the windtunnel from ambient down to cryogenic temperatures the Reynolds number increases rapidly while the model loads remain the same. In addition, the power requirement is reduced.