Aerospace · Aerodynamics
Aircraft Wing Aerodynamic Analysis
Advanced 6 weeks 40-70 hours
Build a small wind tunnel (box fan + smoke) and test 3D-printed airfoils on a load cell to measure lift and drag at different angles. Compare to airfoil theory.
Major
Aerospace
Focus area
Aerodynamics
Total hours
40-70 hours
What you'll need
- load cell 5kg with HX711 amplifier weight sensor kit
- Arduino Uno R3 ATmega328P microcontroller board
- box fan 20 inch
- PLA 3D printer filament 1.75mm 1kg
- MG996R metal gear servo motor
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Steps
- Build a simple wind tunnel with the box fan and a flow-straightening section.
- 3D print 2 or 3 airfoil shapes.
- Mount the airfoils on the load cell with the servo setting angle of attack.
- Measure lift and drag at several angles.
- Calculate lift and drag coefficients and compare them to airfoil theory.
- Chart the results and document the tunnel for your portfolio.
What to photograph for your portfolio
- Wind tunnel build
- lift/drag vs angle curves
- flow visualization photos
- airfoil comparison
Resume bullet starters
Copy one, then swap in your own numbers.
Engineered an aircraft wing aerodynamic analysis using Aerodynamics, airfoil theory, force measurement
Applied wind tunnel testing and CAD to implement, test, and validate the analysis end-to-end
Quantified performance with [insert your result, such as accuracy, error reduction, response time, or load capacity] after iterative tuning
Skills you'll show off
Aerodynamicsairfoil theoryforce measurementwind tunnel testingCAD