Wind Tunnel Experiment of Bluff Body Aerodynamic Models Using a New Type of Magnetic Suspension and Balance System

We have measured drag coefficients of a sphere and a circular cylindrical aerodynamic model using a five axes and a six axes control magnetic suspension and balance system (MSBS) developed by us. This MSBS has the characteristics of large aperture relative to the weight, light weight, and small electric power consumption in comparison with the conventional ones. We had good agreements between the measured values of the drag coefficient and the values appearing in the common aerodynamic handbook or textbook. We also succeeded in measuring the aerodynamic influence of a supporting rod of the aerodynamic models making use of the characteristics of the MSBS. Conventionally, the MSBS can be used only in large scale laboratories because the size, weight, and electric power consumption are large. We think that successful measurements of various aerodynamic characteristics using this type of MSBS will stimulate the introduction of it into the wind tunnel experiments in small scale laboratories.