Industrial

Wind tunnel equipment

Specialist equipment for wind tunnels, including  fans, specialist fixtures and model supports, are built by Designcraft.  We typically manufacture these parts in carbon for low weight and high stiffness. Projects have included an automated fence to create turbulant flow, aerodynamic microphone support for noise analysis and a table to support models above the boundary layer.

Hovercraft

We design and manufacture specialist fans typically made in carbon fibre.  These fans are used in hovercraft and specialist industrial applications.  They include axial and centrifugal fans and combinations of these.  Lift fans, built recently for the new hovercraft operating the Isle of Wight service, are mixed flow fans which combine the performance characteristics of axial and centrifugal fans.

Wind Tunnel and Structural Models

Wind tunnel models for the analysis of wind turbine blade sections are manufactured to very high tolerences. They typically include  pressure tappings for the measuring of pressure distribution.  These models are designed specifically to suite the wind tunnel where they are to be measured and often include special fixtures. Dimensions range from 1m to 4m. 

Bridge models are also constructed from carbon for testing purposes. These models have to be very light and stiff to have the correct frequency response. They are used to investigate the aero dynamic characteristics of new bridge designs .