wind tunnel

[wind]

noun

Aeronautics.

1. a tubular chamber or structure in which a steady current of air can be maintained at a controlled velocity, equipped with devices for measuring and recording forces and moments on scale models of complete aircraft or of their parts or, sometimes, on full-scale aircraft or their parts.

wind tunnel

/ wɪnd /

noun

1. a chamber for testing the aerodynamic properties of aircraft, aerofoils, etc, in which a current of air can be maintained at a constant velocity

wind tunnel

1. A chamber through which air is blown at controlled speeds to simulate the motion of objects placed in the chamber through the air, used to study the aerodynamic properties of objects such as automobiles, airplanes, and missiles.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wind tunnel¹

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

In the study, Parziale's team introduced krypton gas into a wind tunnel and used lasers to ionize it.

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He also created a tiny wind tunnel for some of the experiments, so that the physicists could analyze the role of ambient breeze in the worm's target success rate.

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The team has gone through a few phases of technical restructure, and the infrastructure has been built up over a few years, including a new wind tunnel that came on stream last year.

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A university hopes a £2m investment in wind tunnels will put it at the forefront of aerospace teaching facilities.

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Valleys and canyons can transform into wind tunnels in these extreme conditions.

Read more on Los Angeles Times