Fan Array
The fan array module
Fan array in use with a bicycle test setup
Summary
The fan array is a compact, modular flow facility. Because each module can be controlled individually, it produces the low-speed, deliberately shaped flows that sports work needs — a headwind at an angle, a wake behind a leading rider, or a crosswind across a disc wheel — in a footprint small enough to set up around a rig rather than around a building.
Technical details
- Cross-sectional area: 0.6 × 1.35 m²
- Wind speed range: 0–10 m/s
Applications
The fan array is the right instrument for flexible, low-speed flow experiments, prototyping and teaching work. It supports:
- Localised flow control and turbulence studies
- Rapid testing of small-scale models and equipment components
- Drafting and wake interaction at cycling and running speeds
- Demonstrations and training experiments for students and coaches
For a full athlete at racing speed the array is too small; it is used to explore a question quickly, and to check a mechanism, before a campaign is scheduled in the wind tunnel.